Finally! A budget for public schools!
After almost two years of a budget impasse political leaders and legislators reached a compromise Thursday that will fund public schools and keep vital state operations going. The deal includes fully funding General State Aid for the first time in seven years as well as providing $250 million for a statewide school equity grant.
"We are very pleased that our elected leaders have alleviated the uncertainty and doubt regarding funding public schools in Illinois. Public education remains the best return on investment for a state or a community and the governor and legislators have recognized that by passing this budget for schools and fully funding General State Aid," said IASA Executive Director Dr. Brent Clark. "We still need to address how education funding can be more equitably distributed in our state, but our first priority always has been to get a budget that allows schools to open on time."
Also included in Senate Bill 2047 is a six-month stopgap budget to fund state agency operations, MAP grants, human services providers and other items aimed at keeping vital services going through the end of the calendar year. The stopgap budget gets legislators past the November 8 election, delaying budget talks that might involve increasing state revenues.
The bipartisan bill overwhelmingly passed the House by a 105-4 vote and passed the Senate by a vote of 54-0. It is expected that Governor Bruce Rauner will sign the bill as his negotiating team was part of the talks that developed the proposal.
One of the stumbling blocks regarding the funding for public schools was Republican opposition to sending additional funding to the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) system. The agreement approved Thursday included separate bills that call for the state to pay $215 million for normal CPS pension costs for one year beginning in June of 2017 - provided that legislators approve a pension reform plan by January. A bill also was passed that would authorize but not mandate CPS to levy a property tax increase above the tax cap limits to pay for CPS pensions.
Main provisions of the education bill include:
- Full funding of GSA
- $250 million in a statewide school equity grant to be distributed in a manner similar to the additional poverty grant funding for FY16
- Hold harmless language for all school districts
- $75 million in additional funding for Early Childhood Education
- Level funding for other mandated categoricals
"There probably were many political and logistical reasons for the sides to finally reach a compromise, but there is no doubt that the leadership shown by superintendents in communities throughout the state was a factor that helped illustrate the urgency and the critical need for a school budget," Clark said. "We are very appreciative of the way in which superintendents professionally handled the discussion of this issue with the public and legislators and helped avoid inciting hysteria."
