Post by Logan on May 14, 2016 4:19:02 GMT -6
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Senate approved a bill Tuesday aimed at overhauling the way the state distributes money to public schools to get more funding to poorer districts that need it most.
The legislation from Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, which passed on a 31-21 vote, has become a focal point of debate as the General Assembly nears its scheduled May 31 adjournment. Democratic supporters say it would address the inequities in the current funding formula, considered one of the least equitable in the country. Meanwhile, Republicans, including Gov. Bruce Rauner, have panned it as a bailout for Chicago Public Schools.
Manar, who has been working on the issue since being elected to the Senate in 2012, called the funding formula change "one of the most profound anti-poverty measures we will take up in any number of years."
"This bill will attack poverty in the classroom, plain and simple," Manar said, noting that on average Illinois spends $2,400 less per year educating a low-income student than a wealthier one.
Read more: qctimes.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/illinois-senate-approves-education-funding-overhaul/article_6383638b-6c51-58cb-b96a-1d8db57d427d.html
The legislation from Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, which passed on a 31-21 vote, has become a focal point of debate as the General Assembly nears its scheduled May 31 adjournment. Democratic supporters say it would address the inequities in the current funding formula, considered one of the least equitable in the country. Meanwhile, Republicans, including Gov. Bruce Rauner, have panned it as a bailout for Chicago Public Schools.
Manar, who has been working on the issue since being elected to the Senate in 2012, called the funding formula change "one of the most profound anti-poverty measures we will take up in any number of years."
"This bill will attack poverty in the classroom, plain and simple," Manar said, noting that on average Illinois spends $2,400 less per year educating a low-income student than a wealthier one.
Read more: qctimes.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/illinois-senate-approves-education-funding-overhaul/article_6383638b-6c51-58cb-b96a-1d8db57d427d.html