Rose votes against bailout of Chicago Public Schools, Democrats in Senate take money away from downstate schools
Springfield, IL – State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) issued the following statement in response to Senate Democrats overriding Gov. Bruce Rauner’s Amendatory Veto of Senate Bill 1, education funding reform:
“First it was a massive tax hike on the backs of every working Illinoisan, now it’s a bailout of Chicago Public Schools that takes money away from our local schools. Where does it end?
“The State Board of Education’s independent analysis released Saturday proves that a better path forward exists for 98 percent of schools in Illinois. Make no mistake, any vote in supporting the override is a vote to bailout Chicago Public Schools’ ineptness on the backs of our local school children, our local teachers, and our local property taxpayers.
“I absolutely maintain that a negotiated, bi-partisan solution can be better than this and the numbers now prove it.
“Let me be clear, overriding Senate Bill 1 takes $614,000 of new dollars from the Mahomet School District and instead sends it to Chicago.”
State Sen. Rose’s statement is misleading. Under the bipartisan commission (formed by Gov. Rauner), the goals of SB 1 are to reform the school funding system using evidence-based research on what leads to best education practices AND to ensure no district receives fewer funds. There is a hold harmless clause in the bill. So Mahomet-Seymour stands to gain over $250,000 in additional funds under SB 1, we just won’t be getting additional funds at the expense of other districts. We should provide for what is best for the education of all students in Illinois, not just our own. I am putting my trust in the bipartisan commission’s work to improve education funding, not the rhetoric of politicians looking ahead to reelection. For more info read:
http://bettergov.org/news/fact-check-does-the-proposed-illinois-school-funding-bill-bail-out-chicagos-teacher-pensions