SPRINGFIELD - May 27, 2014. Lt. Governor Sheila Simon issued the following statement praising the Illinois Senate for passing meaningful school funding reform legislation today and encouraging the Illinois House to quickly approve the measure. Senate Bill 16 sponsored by Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill), passed the Senate and heads to the House.
"Today was an important step toward a more equitable education system. The single funding formula passed by the Senate today can guide vital state dollars to the students who need them most. Whether living in a big city or small farm town, our students should all have equal access to world-class educations. Senate Bill 16 is a commonsense approach to creating a fairer system.
"I commend Sen. Andy Manar, members of the bipartisan Education Funding Advisory Committee (EFAC) and the Illinois Senate for their unwavering commitment and hard work, and I hope the Illinois House will work quickly to pass this important measure and send it to the governor to become law."
Simon urged state leaders to overhaul the way schools are funded in Illinois during the final hearing of the Education Funding Advisory Committee in January. Last month, Simon invited Sen. Manar to meet with southern Illinois superintendants and school administrators to build support for SB 16. Such meetings spurred positive changes to the bill, including a provision that helps consolidated districts afford transportation and the removal of a cap on incentives for dual credit students.
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