Funding Formula Hurting Minority Students
More than half of the fiscal year has passed and Illinois is still in the middle of an unprecedented budget crisis.
But rank and file lawmakers want to make sure that fight doesn't overshadow very real problems the state needs to address.
The Faith Coalition for the Common Good is supporting Senator Andy Manar's efforts to change the school funding formula.
SB1 is back in the spotlight as school districts across the state are still struggling to make ends meet despite more money being appropriated for K through 12 education.
The latest data shows the current formula is failing minority students as districts with high minority populations get, on average, two thousand less per student.
Manar says it's time that lawmakers stop ignoring the effects of an outdated system.
"We're not going to turn Illinois around until this is solved. There is no turnaround agenda that will change lives in a meaningful way if this is not solved in Illinois," said Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill).
Manar says reforming the school funding formula could be a part of a larger budget compromise.
Senator Manar's campaign to pass school funding reform comes as Republicans announce their plan to help Chicago Public Schools, the state's largest school district.
Manar says smaller school districts downstate are feeling the same pain as CPS thanks to an unequal funding formula.
