Manley Rejects School Funding Formula that Raises Property Taxes

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, issued the following statement after voting against legislation mirroring the governor’s amendatory veto to Senate Bill 1:

“Our current school funding formula is broken. It doesn’t reflect the needs of our students or the changes that have taken place in our classroom. Furthermore, the current formula relies on property taxes to fully fund our schools.

“I supported changes to the school funding formula because it helped bring additional money to schools in our community and provided school districts with a path to lower property taxes and provide much needed relief to homeowners. This is the first real step toward property tax relief something that we all need and it’s what I’ve be been fighting for since arriving in Springfield. Instead of working with legislators to achieve these common goals, the governor’s amendatory veto did the exact opposite.

“The governor’s plan, much like his budget plan, picks winners and losers and does not guarantee that school districts will be adequately funded. Additionally, under his plan some of the wealthiest school districts will get the most new money from the state. By underfunding our local schools, Gov. Rauner will ensure that property taxes on homeowners and businesses continue to sky-rocket and that most of our Will County students will get short-changed.

“This school-funding crisis created by the governor could have been avoided if Rauner sat down and worked with legislators. We must all work together to put a school funding formula in place that will give our children the building blocks they need to build a better future.”

For more information, please contact Manley’s constituent service office at 815-725-2741 or RepManley@gmail.com.