The Illinois House approved a new school funding plan Monday that will increase state money for all districts and provide $75 million in tax credits for people who donated to private school scholarships.
On the 21st: We talk with U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth about President Trump's plans for the war in Afghanistan and his other recent speeches. Plus, we discuss the controversy surrounding the Illinois Policy Institute cartoon that many politicians have denounced as racist, and we talk with two Illinois teachers who think our current political climate means it’s even more important for students to study religion in public schools.
On the 21st: The Senate took a big step toward passing a major school funding bill by overriding Governor Rauner’s veto, and the House will vote this Wednesday. When can public schools across the state expect to get the money they are owed? Plus — there’s only one more week until the total solar eclipse. We’ll tell you what you need to know to get ready for this once-in-a-lifetime chance.
Thanks to a new state pension law, school districts will now have to pay new teacher pensions. But Governor Rauner's amendatory veto cut the part of SB 1 that would've recognized those pension payments as part of a school's cost of doing business.
Illinois legislators have adjourned a second day of a special session on school funding after just minutes. The House and Senate met briefly Thursday, but didn't take up any action.