Passed after Months of Delay
School Funding Bill Passed
n Springfield for once on Tuesday afternoon as the Illinois Senate voted in favor of legislation to bring historic education reform to the state.
The Senate vote spoke loudly on how state Senate members felt about the bill with 38 yes, 13 not, four present and four not voting.
Two area legislators who voted in favor were Senators William Haine and Andy Manar.
Haine and Manar were shown in the Senate chambers embracing and congratulating one another after the historic vote. The two had worked hand in hand to try to get the legislation passed. Haine said if the legislation hadn't passed, it would have been "catastrophic" for area schools, especially the ones in the rural areas.
He said in his Senate career, the embrace with Manar had to be one of his brightest moments ever.
The bill was sponsored by Manar and something he had worked on for a long period of time. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner was as happy as anyone in Springfield on Tuesday with the compromise that occurred with the governor’s office, both political parties and the two Illinois legislative branches. Rauner even congratulated and thanked Illinois State Speaker of the House Madigan for his efforts in the compromise.
“Today, members of the Illinois Senate voted in favor of legislation that will bring historic education reform to Illinois children and their families. First, I would like to thank Senate President John Cullerton and Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady and other members for working together to close the gap on school funding and making sure every child across the state will have access to the best education.
“For far too long, too many low-income students in our state have been trapped in underfunded, failing schools. The system needed to change. We have changed it. We have put aside our differences and put our kids first. It's a historic day for Illinois.
“Our leaders worked together to provide school choice protection for parents who want the best education possible for their children. This is accomplished by ensuring that district-authorized charter schools receive equal funding, and by providing families with limited financial resources the same access to private schools. The Tax Credit Scholarship program encourages individuals and businesses to enable families to choose the school that best meets the needs of their children.
“This compromise also provides much-needed mandate relief for school districts and presents avenues for property tax relief. School districts will be given flexibility in how they schedule physical education curriculum and how they administer driver’s education curriculum. In more affluent school districts, this bill provides taxpayers with a chance to lower their property taxes through the referendum process.
“This is just the beginning of transforming education funding. I want Illinois to be the No. 1 state in the nation for education. Nothing is more important than educating our children.”
Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti today issued the following statement upon Senate passage of the education funding bill this afternoon:
"As a child who grew up in poverty, my schools didn’t have the resources they needed to provide me with a quality education. Here in Illinois, too many children know this reality. It shouldn’t matter where you live or how much money your parents make – all children deserve access to a world-class education.
“Last year, Governor Rauner created the Illinois School Funding Reform Commission with the goal of finally reforming our broken education system. Today’s Senate vote delivers on the Governor’s promise for a fair and equitable school funding formula. This historic legislation also creates a new Tax Credit Scholarship program designed to empower low income families with the ability to choose the schools that best meet their child’s needs. It also provides our school districts with much-needed flexibility from costly unfunded mandates while giving taxpayers an avenue to property tax relief.
“I fully support this legislation and I’m excited it will distribute money to our neediest school districts first so that we can give all children in Illinois hope for a better future.”
The Senate vote spoke loudly on how state Senate members felt about the bill with 38 yes, 13 not, four present and four not voting.
Two area legislators who voted in favor were Senators William Haine and Andy Manar.
Haine and Manar were shown in the Senate chambers embracing and congratulating one another after the historic vote. The two had worked hand in hand to try to get the legislation passed. Haine said if the legislation hadn't passed, it would have been "catastrophic" for area schools, especially the ones in the rural areas.
Senator Bill Haine on left congratulates Senator Andy Manar on passage of school funding bill.
He said in his Senate career, the embrace with Manar had to be one of his brightest moments ever.
The bill was sponsored by Manar and something he had worked on for a long period of time. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner was as happy as anyone in Springfield on Tuesday with the compromise that occurred with the governor’s office, both political parties and the two Illinois legislative branches. Rauner even congratulated and thanked Illinois State Speaker of the House Madigan for his efforts in the compromise.
“Today, members of the Illinois Senate voted in favor of legislation that will bring historic education reform to Illinois children and their families. First, I would like to thank Senate President John Cullerton and Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady and other members for working together to close the gap on school funding and making sure every child across the state will have access to the best education.
“For far too long, too many low-income students in our state have been trapped in underfunded, failing schools. The system needed to change. We have changed it. We have put aside our differences and put our kids first. It's a historic day for Illinois.
“Our leaders worked together to provide school choice protection for parents who want the best education possible for their children. This is accomplished by ensuring that district-authorized charter schools receive equal funding, and by providing families with limited financial resources the same access to private schools. The Tax Credit Scholarship program encourages individuals and businesses to enable families to choose the school that best meets the needs of their children.
“This compromise also provides much-needed mandate relief for school districts and presents avenues for property tax relief. School districts will be given flexibility in how they schedule physical education curriculum and how they administer driver’s education curriculum. In more affluent school districts, this bill provides taxpayers with a chance to lower their property taxes through the referendum process.
“This is just the beginning of transforming education funding. I want Illinois to be the No. 1 state in the nation for education. Nothing is more important than educating our children.”
Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti today issued the following statement upon Senate passage of the education funding bill this afternoon:
"As a child who grew up in poverty, my schools didn’t have the resources they needed to provide me with a quality education. Here in Illinois, too many children know this reality. It shouldn’t matter where you live or how much money your parents make – all children deserve access to a world-class education.
“Last year, Governor Rauner created the Illinois School Funding Reform Commission with the goal of finally reforming our broken education system. Today’s Senate vote delivers on the Governor’s promise for a fair and equitable school funding formula. This historic legislation also creates a new Tax Credit Scholarship program designed to empower low income families with the ability to choose the schools that best meet their child’s needs. It also provides our school districts with much-needed flexibility from costly unfunded mandates while giving taxpayers an avenue to property tax relief.
“I fully support this legislation and I’m excited it will distribute money to our neediest school districts first so that we can give all children in Illinois hope for a better future.”
