Illinois Senate President John Cullerton says he will send the governor a bill today that overhauls the way the state distributes money to schools.
The new state budget requires that such a bill become law in order for schools to receive state money.
Gov. Bruce Rauner says he will veto part of it because of the amount of money it gives to the Chicago Public Schools retirement system. Cullerton counters that the bill also would send more money to downstate and suburban teacher pensions, but Rauner doesn’t object to that part.
Once Rauner issues his veto, each legislative chamber will have 15 days for lawmakers to vote whether to accept or reject his changes. It’s not clear whether there would be enough votes to override a veto.
If the veto is not overridden, then all school funding would be held up. Some observers have said that, if the funding plan is not approved, schools might not open on time.
- WBEZ reporter Tony Arnold contributed to this story.