As educators we chose our profession to make a significant positive difference in the lives of our children. But because of Illinois’ broken school funding system, instead of making choices in the best interests of children, my colleagues and I are continually faced with distinguishing between which choices are the least harmful to our students.
Now we are fighting for the bare minimum, fair funding for all of our students throughout Illinois, rather than discussing raising the bar and investing in excellence in education. Now with schools starting throughout the state, we are once again faced with decisions of which programs and services we will be forced to dismantle next.
Years of underfunding by the state combined with a formula that punishes low-income districts have left Illinois schools on life support. In May, the passage of Senate Bill 1, which would fix Illinois’ broken funding system, provided a glimmer of hope. The bill was the culmination of years of research, advocacy and debate and drives state dollars to the neediest districts in Illinois while closing funding gaps between low-income and wealthier districts over time. It does that without taking dollars from any district, while relying on the evidence of what works in the classroom. However, Governor Rauner issued an amendatory veto of the bill on Aug. 1, and that leaves school funding for this year in question.
Even as his veto impacts districts across the state, Governor Rauner has described the formula in Senate Bill 1 as a “Chicago bailout.” However, SB1 does not favor any district, it simply drives dollars to the districts that need the most support. And Chicago, with 20% of the state’s students and with a low-income rate of 85%, is funded proportional to its needs. Further, I say we should not be pitting children and communities within our state against each other. We need to put an end to the “zip code politics” surrounding education funding. We value children and students and care about educational outcomes everywhere.
It’s time to end the years of uncertainty and instability for schools in Illinois. The General Assembly can now take historic action by overriding the Governor’s veto and ensuring a better future for all children. Let’s set politics aside to focus on what matters most: investing in student excellence.
Transform the Norm 