To reduce the disparity between the most-funded and least-funded districts in the state in hopes of lowering property taxes and improving academic performance in the least-funded districts over time. was also assumed.

Five years later, there are still significant gaps between school districts in both funding and academic performance. But lawmakers from both parties who participated in negotiating the new law say it has brought big benefits, especially to the most underfunded schools.

“Take the example of East St. Louis, which had the highest property tax rates at the time, but I don’t think we were spending enough money,” said Andy Manor, a former state senator from Bunker Hill and now Chief Lieutenant Governor. I did,” he said. plan architect.

“And if you did the math back then, the math was that East St. Louis literally had enough levels of spending for the school district to achieve our results. It shows that we weren’t able to pay enough taxes to generate the funds we needed. The state is counting on that school district,” he said. was mathematically impossible. “

In its first year under the formula, the East St. Louis District was funded at 66% of adequacy. This year, we will be funding with a 96% adequacy.

Republican Senator Chapin Rose, who represents mostly rural eastern central Illinois, said many districts in his area face the same challenge.

“I think it’s been a lifeline for a lot of the fields I represent,” he said. “It held the door open and in some cases provided much-needed infusions. It withered away.”

history of injustice

Illinois has traditionally relied on local property taxes for most education costs. This automatically leads to built-in inequalities, as school districts with relatively low property values ​​per student have to charge higher tax rates to raise the same amount of money as wealthier districts. .

To offset these differences, prior to adopting evidence-based funding methods, states used complex formulas to distribute state grants. Districts were subsidized that way even if they were able to raise enough money on their own.

Many districts complained that the scheme failed to deliver on its promise to ensure adequate funding for all districts, partly because the General Assembly did not provide sufficient funding for the scheme. distributed a “prorated” amount based on the amount available in the state budget.

Manners gave the example of Harrisburg High School in southern Illinois. At this high school, the library ceiling was removed because there was not enough money for basic repairs and upkeep.

“And, as you know, we held a town hall in that library on school funding, and that place emphasized the need for legislation,” he said. , was the same as many other places in Illinois, not just rural areas of the state. As a result, we were unable to work on it.”

For decades, school districts across Illinois argued that the 1970 Illinois Constitution stipulated that “the state has the primary responsibility for funding the system of public education.” and tried to go to state court to redress the inequality.

But state courts have consistently refused to get involved in school financial matters. As far back as 1973, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the provision was merely a “complementary expression of goals to be achieved” and did not order the state to take over school funding. Did.

In 1990, 50 school districts calling themselves the Board of Educational Rights violated several provisions of the Illinois Constitution, alleging that the system was creating a wide disparity in educational resources between wealthy and poor school districts. Claimed and sued the state. A state that provides “an efficient system of high-quality public educational institutions and services.”

But when that case went to the Illinois Supreme Court six years later, the judge ruled that there was no judicial standard for determining whether a state offered a “quality” education and how it funded schools. and ruled that there is no decision on how to balance competing education. The interests of fairness and local control were legislative, not judicial.

formula

After more than a year of negotiations, Illinois lawmakers have struck a deal that will put more state money into public schools for years to bring the least-funded school districts to the right level. . The General Assembly does its duty.

A final vote was held during the August 2017 Special Summer Congress, during which lawmakers also ended a two-year budget stalemate with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.

The goal of the new formula is to gradually bring all districts up to “adequate” funding levels, or enough resources to cover the costs of providing the educational services the state expects. This takes into account the district’s gross enrollment rate, poverty rate, number of English learners, and many other factors.

Each year, by law, the state is to add at least $350 million in new funding to schools. However, the law stipulated that no district had reduced funding from the last year before passage. This is the so-called “Hold Harmless” provision, which means that even the richest districts continue to receive state aid.

People on both sides of the aisle said it was necessary because the bill would never have passed without the hold innocence clause.

“It’s a living breathing formula, and it changes from year to year, so the formula mechanism eventually dies,” says Manar. “But I think it brought a certain level of certainty. …so a lot of people didn’t like it.I personally didn’t.But I had to get it done.”

So far, in the first five years, the state has met or exceeded its funding targets in all but one year, with the state’s share of school funding falling from $6.9 billion increased to $9.8 billion allocated.

It also boosted the state’s percentage of K-12 education, according to state school board data. In 2017, the state provided her 24.4% of her K-12 funding. In the most recent year for which audited figures are available, it rose to 27%.

signs of progress

According to Illinois Board of Education data, it would take an additional $3.6 billion in state funding this year alone to reach 90% of “adequate” funding for all school districts, which is more than required by law. It’s a goal. However, the state has made some progress toward meeting the needs of the least-funded districts.

In the first year of evidence-based funding, 168 districts received less than 60% funding. These were the first in line for new funding when the evidence-based funding scheme took effect.

Only two school districts will be below that level next year. Washington Community High School in Tazewell County and Chaney Monge School District, an elementary school district in Will County. Both are funded at 59% adequacy this year.

The gap between the least-funded districts and the most-funded districts is also narrowing, albeit slightly. His initial one-year funding levels ranged from a low of 47% to a high of 288%. This year’s gap ranges from 59% to 270%.

Gov. JB Pritzker said he believes the state needs to continue to invest more in education to improve outcomes and reduce reliance on property taxes.

“Many good things have been done, there is no doubt about it,” he said. “As you know, evidence-based funding was needed both to fund the schools most in need and to improve overall education funding across Illinois. We believe we need to put more money into the education system in the future.”