Lilly Attends Local School Board Meeting to Discuss Education Funding, Inclusive Policies

CHICAGO – State Rep. Camille Y. Lilly, D-Chicago, recently attended a community meeting at Oak Park’s District 97 to discuss state education funding and the adoption of a new school equity policy.

“There is no doubt that education is a very important aspect of our lives, and so it should be treated as a top priority,” said Lilly. “With the new funding formula in place, Illinois has the nation’s most progressive funding system for its schools. Our work, however, does not end there as we still need to find ways to ease real estate taxes.”

Lilly attended one of District 97’s monthly Committee for Legislative Action, Intervention and Monitoring (CLAIM) meetings to discuss the new law along with methods to reduce school districts’ reliance on local property taxes, a more inclusive and progressive equity policy for District 97 students and how that new policy could fit in with the new funding law. Senate Bill 1947, which Lilly supported, was the landmark education funding formula overhaul legislation that changed Illinois from a near dead-last rank in funding public schools to the nation’s leader in progressive education funding.

“We will need to work harder to ensure that Springfield fulfills its obligation to better fund every school in order to ease districts’ reliance on high property taxes,” Lilly said. “There is a property tax swap provision in the law that sets aside $50 million to relieve that particular tax burden, but Illinois needs to adopt a more progressive tax structure that asks the wealthiest to pay their fair share for a truly long-term solution.”

Lilly represents Chicago’s West Side, Oak Park, River Grove, Elmwood Park, Franklin Park and Melrose Park. Join her weekly newsletter to stay up to date with events and news from the 78th District.