A new plan to change the school funding formula is emerging in the legislature. Jason Barickman, a Republican state senator from Bloomington, plans to introduce a bill, which he believes will be supported by Governor Bruce Rauner.
“Think about something else he said yesterday, in the context of his criminal justice reforms. In announcing those reforms, the governor embraced an evidence-based model, and that’s what this is.”
The State Journal Registerreports each district would have its own foundation level, along with some flexibility in deciding how to spend funds.
Barickman says this is the first of three initiatives he will introduce. Another would lower the cost of providing education, and the third would ensure accountability.
Barickman’s plan is different from democrat Andy Manar’s plan that cleared the Senate, which would give more money to districts with higher poverty rates.
