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Who Benefits When The School Funding Formula Is Re-Crunched?

Susan Stephens
/
WNIJ

School superintendents in Illinois are getting a chance to weigh in on what could be a huge change in the state’s public school funding formula. 

School leaders from Winnebago and Boone counties met with State Senator Andy ManarMonday to talk about the bill he’s sponsoring, "The School Funding Reform Act of 2014.”

“We have to have a broad conversation about how to appropriately account for local property wealth in a greater degree than our school funding formula. That’s not pitting groups against each other, or pitting neighboring school districts against each other, in many cases. But I think it’s an appropriate conversation to have and that’s what Senate Bill 16 is designed to do. “

Manar’s legislation proposes changing the state’s education funding formula so more than ninety percent of the money is distributed to districts based on need: right now, it’s less than half. Districts with more low-income students and lower property values are expected to benefit from the formula change.  

Superintendents at Monday’s  meeting had a variety of concerns: North Boone superintendent  Steve Baule  wants to make sure the funding formula  includes homeless students.

“Which requires at the federal level, we have a lot of additional services for those children that are not reimbursed by the federal government and state. It would be nice to make sure those issues were accountable in any formula change that we make.”

The education committee that came up with the new formula will continue to collect comments from educators, parents, students, and taxpayers as the bill moves through the State Senate. 

Susan is an award-winning reporter/writer at her favorite radio station. She's also WNIJ's Perspectives editor, Under Rocks contributor, and local host of All Things Considered.
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