Andrade Helps Pass Education Funding Reform Offering Much-Needed Relief to Chicago Public Schools

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Offering additional funds to cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools (CPS), state Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, voted to pass reform that dramatically reshapes education funding in Illinois and creates a fairer, more equitable system to provide support to every public school in the state.

“As a father of two children in CPS schools, I understand the concern that many in our community feel due to the inequitable nature of our state’s school funding formula—a child’s educational opportunities should not be dependent on their zip-code,” Andrade said. “We have the most regressive education funding in the nation. Our current funding formula is overly reliant on local property taxes, causing burdensome taxes on our homes, while also creating a system that is inequitable to lower income areas.”

The Andrade-backed Senate Bill 1 would, for the first time, provide Chicago schools with equitable funding, by increasing state support by $300 million annually. Most importantly, the new formula sends more money to schools with a higher percentage of students in poverty, English language learners and special needs students. Senate Bill 1 accomplishes this without reducing funding for any school in the state.

Currently, the state of Illinois contributes the fourth lowest amount to education of any state, even though the Illinois constitution mandates the state serve as the primary funder of education. As a result, local communities have to make up the state’s short fall in education funding.

Senate Bill 1 passed the House and Senate and currently awaits approval by the governor. In a recent interview Governor Rauner’s Education Secretary, Beth Purvis, was quoted as saying that the governor supports “90 percent” of the proposal.

“Chicago Public Schools are facing the prospect of not being able to open their doors next school year, yet the governor refuses to sign school funding reform that he nearly completely agrees with,” Andrade said. “I urge the governor to come to his senses and support this proposal that will improve the quality of education at schools in our neighborhoods and all across the state.”