EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – State Rep. LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis, issued the following statement in response to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of fair funding for public schools:

“I am appalled by the Governor’s decision to veto Senate Bill 1 and put his political agenda above equitable funding for our school children. Under this evidence based model, all school districts receive more state funding, but the Governor would rather create another crisis in Illinois by using our most vulnerable school districts as leverage in his political games.

“Governor Rauner wants to strip away much needed resources from schools in areas that are already struggling and redirect those resources to wealthy school districts. His changes would remove protections that require the state to continue to invest in struggling school districts.

“I will not stand by and watch the Governor attempt to deprive our school districts that are most in need. I am ready and willing to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure our schools open on time and with the equitable funding that all students in our state deserve.