GRAYSLAKE, Ill.  – In an unexpected move that blindsided local school districts and elected officials, Governor Bruce Rauner issued an amendatory veto of SB444, the school funding bill, putting the distribution of $7 million in additional school funding for the Round Lake Beach area in limbo unless lawmakers vote to override.

Governor Rauner’s veto flies in the face of the recommendation of his own State Board of Education, who urged lawmakers to pass the measure so they could implement the new funding formula correctly in November, 2017.

“Once again Governor Rauner is using children and public schools as political pawns to create a crisis,” said Representative Sam Yingling, D-Grayslake. “His amendatory veto is a clear attempt to leverage the bi-partisan will of the legislature to enact equitable school funding against his desire to let unvetted private schools access public dollars. It’s unacceptable, and I will fight to override his veto in Springfield.”

Local school districts also responded to Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto by calling for an override.

“CCSD #46 is in full support of an override to the Governor’s amendatory veto of the recent education funding measure,” said Superintendent Ellen Correll, Community Consolidated School District 46. “The possibility of further delay or loss of these funds will interfere with the District’s ability to implement initiatives with a focus on improving student performance which is the goal of the Evidence Based Funding Model.”

“The new funding model is a more fair and equitable system for all districts in Illinois,” said Mikkel Storaasli, Ed.D, Superintendent, Grayslake Community High School District 127. “Distribution of funds should not be delayed to the schools in the most need.”

“The new state funding bill greatly assists school districts, like Round Lake, that under the prior funding formula have been underfunded for many years,” said Bill Johnston, Chief Financial Officer, Round Lake Community Unit School District 116. “Additionally, as a district that is heavily dependent on state funding and with the proration of state funding that previously had occurred, the disparity in funding on a per pupil basis between school districts across the State has increased. The new evidence-based funding model established the roadmap to ensure that all school districts are adequately and equitably funded. The new funding bill will provide more opportunities and programs for the children in Round Lake and help us get to the same per-pupil spending level of other districts. As a result of the veto, there may be a delay in distributing the additional funding for this year. This impacts the implementation of these much needed programs for all of our students.

Round Lake Area Schools Community Unit School District 116 supports SB 444 and encourages the legislative bodies to override the amendatory veto of the bill so the appropriate distribution of funds can occur as soon as possible.”

Lawmakers will have the opportunity to begin the override process when they return to Springfield for the legislative session that begins January 30, 2018.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez, D-Cicero, member of the Latino Caucus, fought to ensure every child has the tools necessary to succeed by supporting a historic education funding reform plan that changes the state’s funding system to one that is based on student need.

“After Gov. Rauner’s rejection of a school funding plan, we had to take action to make sure that our local schools would be able to remain open,” Hernandez said. “After months of bipartisan negotiations and compromise, we were able to find a solution that not only keeps schools open, but ensures that every child in our local school districts and in communities across Illinois will have access to a quality education.”

Hernandez voted to pass Senate Bill 1947, which will change the education funding formula to one that is data driven and based on student need. The new formula will take into account various factors including teacher to pupil ratio, technology costs, the number of low-income students and English learners. As a result, more financial assistance and state funds will go to districts with greater need. Under Senate Bill 1947, local schools in the 24th District will receive approximately the following in additional funding:

• Sterling Morton High School District 201— $8,595,117
• Cicero School District 99— $7,755,914
• Berwyn South School District 100— $2,988,354
• Berwyn North School District 98— $1,585,630

Senate Bill 1947 would also ensure that Bilingual Education will be fully funded for the upcoming school year by increasing its funding to $38,376,300. Bilingual Education has not been fully funded for several decades.

“Our education funding reform plan is a big win for the students in my district, who like many across Illinois, have long suffered the consequences of a broken system that discriminates against poorer communities,” Hernandez said. “Education gives every child a foundation to dream and achieve as big as they want. Now with this new law in place, we can move forward knowing that our schools will remain open and our children will receive the resources they deserve!”

Spanish Translation:

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – La representante estatal Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernández, D-Cícero, apoyo una reforma histórica que cambiará la manera en que la educación es financiada en Illinois, asegurando que cada niño tenga los recursos necesarios para triunfar.

“Después que el gobernador Rauner rechazo un plan para financiar la educación, tuvimos que actuar rápido para asegurar que ninguna escuela tuviera que cerrar sus puertas,” Hernández dijo. “Después de meses de negociaciones y compromiso, encontramos una solución que no solo mantendrá abiertas las escuelas, pero que asegurará que todos los niños en nuestros distritos escolares y en comunidades alrededor de Illinois tengan acceso a una educación de calidad.”

Hernández apoyo la Legislación del Senado 1947, cuál creará una fórmula de financiación escolar basada en la necesidad de cada distrito. La nueva fórmula tomará en cuenta varios factores, incluyendo la proporción entre maestros y alumnos, costos de tecnología, el número de estudiantes de bajos ingresos y estudiantes de inglés como segundo idioma. Debajo del plan de reforma, los distritos escolares en el Distrito 24 recibirán aproximadamente lo siguiente en fondos adicionales:

• Sterling Morton High School District 201— $8,595,117
• Cicero School District 99— $7,755,914
• Berwyn South School District 100— $2,988,354
• Berwyn North School District 98— $1,585,630

La nueva ley también asegurará que la educación bilingüe sea financiada en su totalidad para el próximo año escolar—aumentando su financiamiento a $38,376,300. La educación bilingüe no ha sido completamente financiada por varias décadas.

“Nuestro plan para reformar la manera en que la educación es financiada es una victoria grande para los estudiantes de mi distrito, que como muchos en Illinois, han sufrido las consecuencias de un sistema que discrimina a las comunidades de bajos recursos,” Hernández dijo. “La educación es una herramienta esencial para expandir la oportunidad económica. ¡Y ahora con esta nueva ley podemos avanzar sabiendo que nuestras escuelas permanecerán abiertas y que cada niño recibirá los recursos que se merecen!”

CHICAGO – State Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, recently supported landmark education funding reform that will provide up to an additional $466 million annually to Chicago Public Schools (CPS).

“Without a new education funding formula, our neighborhood schools were facing the unprecedented prospect of not being able to open their doors for the new school year, which is why we had the responsibility to every student in Illinois to change the formula,” Andrade said. “The reform that we passed ensures our neighborhood schools will have the necessary funding and resources to give children in our community the educational opportunities they deserve.”

Andrade supported Senate Bill 1947, the new school funding formula, which increases annual funding for CPS by up to $466 million. The new reform stands to benefit CPS by prioritizing new funds be sent to districts like CPS that have a higher proportion of students from low-income families, English learners and students receiving special education services.

Under the previous education funding formula, CPS pensions were paid exclusively by Chicago taxpayers. Under this inequitable system, Chicago taxpayers unfairly shouldered the burden for both CPS pensions and the pensions of every other district in the state. Andrade fought for a provision in the reform that created pension equity for CPS, so that CPS receives annual state funding for its pension system just like every other school district in the state.

“For over ten years, schools in Chicago have been shortchanged, receiving disproportionately less funding than schools elsewhere in the state,” Andrade said. “The new, progressive formula that we enacted secures hundreds of millions more for CPS annually, and treats our pension system just like every other school district in the state.”

CHICAGO – In response to Governor Rauner’s veto of education funding reform, Senate Bill 1, state Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, released the following statement:

“I am extremely disappointed with the governor’s decision to veto this proposal that would have increased funding and improved educational opportunity for every child in Illinois. Governor Rauner is more inclined to engage in partisan politics and put schools at risk of not opening than supporting a bipartisan reform package that contains 90 percent of his demands.

“The governor has turned the debate on Senate Bill 1 into a political tool, pitting one region of the state against another. He has declared the bill a “Chicago bailout”, a claim which has been debunked as false by the non-partisan, fact-checking group Politifact.

“The governor’s knee-jerk veto jeopardizes the education of every student in the state. Furthermore, Governor Rauner did not seem to realize the consequences of his veto. He claimed falsely, once again, that a simply majority would be required to adopt his veto when in reality a supermajority would be required.

“As the governor continues to fail to lead and even grasp the basics of the legislative process, I will continue to negotiate with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to reach a compromise that will give schools the resources they need to open on time.”

AURORA, Ill. – In response to false and misleading partisan spin about the bipartisan budget compromise, state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, is inviting area residents to hear the truth at a “What Is Really Happening In Springfield?” discussion on Saturday, Aug. 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Waubonsie Valley High School, located at 2590 Ogden Avenue in Aurora.

“Partisan special interest groups—including Governor Rauner and his supporters—have been spreading false and slanted news about the bipartisan budget and the education funding reform bill I helped pass,” Kifowit said. “I believe taxpayers deserve to know the truth and in this era of ‘fake news’ it’s more important now than ever that elected officials and citizens engage in a frank, honest dialogue based on the facts, not partisan spin.”

Kifowit will be joined by state Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, Naperville Township Assessor Warren Dixon, III, Ralph Martire from the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, and representatives from Advance Illinois. Topics to be discussed include the recently passed bipartisan, compromise budget, property taxes and education funding reform. Check-in starts at 8:15 a.m. and each panel will lead a discussion every hour beginning at 8:30 until 11:30 to give residents the opportunity to hear all discussions.

“Right-wing news outlets have mischaracterized and even outright lied about the events in Springfield, leaving residents confused and angry,” Holmes said. “My hope is this seminar will set the record straight about the challenges our state faced during the governor’s budget crisis and the steps I took to end it.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, has been named to the House Education Taskforce to help craft a solution to Illinois’ broken funding system for K-12 schools.

“The goal of the taskforce is to ensure adequate and equitable funding for all schoolchildren in the state,” Hoffman said. “Children downstate and in the Metro East deserve the same educational opportunities that are afforded to students in the wealthiest suburbs of Chicago.”

Hoffman is one of 24 legislators that comprise the bipartisan taskforce on school funding reform. Sixty-seven percent of all education spending in Illinois comes from property taxes levied at the county level, while the rest of the U.S. averages around 45 percent.

“Educational opportunity should not be decided by your zip-code,” Hoffman said. “I look forward to working on the task force and reforming the school funding system to ensure our local schools have the resources they need to educate our children.”

For more information contact Hoffman’s full-time constituent service office at 618-416-7407.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Speaker Michael J. Madigan is forming a bipartisan House task force to continue working on an equitable education funding formula and address questions a state commission recently left unanswered.

“The question of how Illinois funds our public schools is one that affects every community in our state,” Madigan said. “As such, the entire process for making formula changes – from crafting an overall outline for reform, to working through the specific details – needs to be carefully considered by legislators from across the state. This task force will continue House Democrats’ commitment to vetting these decisions and making sure all voices are heard.”

Madigan has appointed Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, as well as Reps. Linda Chapa LaVia, Fred Crespo, William Davis, Marcus Evans, Laura Fine, Jay Hoffman, Rita Mayfield, Emily McAsey, Michelle Mussman, Elgie Sims and Justin Slaughter to form an education funding reform task force along with House Republicans. The task force will continue the work of the Illinois School Funding Reform Commission, address unanswered questions in the commission’s final report, and continue to craft equitable school funding reform legislation.

House Democrats serving on the Illinois School Funding Reform Commission recently noted that aspects of the Commission’s final report failed to clearly reflect the group’s discussions. Amongst other concerns, the report did not properly recognize that Illinois’ current school funding system is broken, in large part, because of overreliance on property taxes and underfunding from the state. Illinois’ property tax dollars account for 67 percent of all education spending, while the nationwide average is 45 percent. Without reform that acknowledges this overreliance on property taxes, the current education funding system will continue to be regressive compared to states with less property tax reliance.

“House Democrats played a leading role on the Illinois School Funding Reform Commission, and successfully pushed the Commission to meet more frequently,” Currie said. “While the Commission did not accomplish everything it set out to do, it did show that a bipartisan group of lawmakers can work toward consensus on major issues. There are questions that remain unanswered and points that still need clarification. We look forward to continuing to work cooperatively on this important and complex issue.