Springfield school board members are getting involved in the effort to pass a statewide initiative to change the way Illinois school districts are funded.
A District 186 contingent was present at a hearing Tuesday on Senate Bill 16, which aims to fund school districts based on need. Board president Mike Zimmers says it’s a regional issue, with mainly wealthy Cook County schools coming out against it.
“It’s kind of hard to feel sorry for collar counties, Cook County, because they generate between $20,000 and $25,000 per student with property taxes,” he says. “We’re being made to feel we’re taking something away from them.”
Another board member, Judy Johnson, doesn’t think the bill will pass in its current form this veto session.
“Our children deserve to have the right funding also,” says Johnson. “We need to make sure that all kids have access to a quality education.”
The SB16 discussion was sparked, in part, by a separate conversation about legislative activities. Superintendent Jennifer Gill told board members Monday that there are rumors swirling that the state will make only two of four yearly categorical payments this budget year — which would leave a budget hole of roughly $6 million.
Should State Sen. Andy Manar’s (D-Bunker Hill) school funding formula not pass this veto session, the process would have to start over with a new General Assembly in January, of which he’s part.