While the just-passed budget deal appropriates just a half year of funding for most government services, schools get a full year. Senate Democrats lost their battle to rewrite the state’s inequitable funding formula, the current method Illinois uses to fund schools will stay in place.
But the plan that passed increases overall school funding by more than 330 million. And it directs extra money to schools with a high percentage of students in poverty. That’s good enough for Sue Rezin, a Republican from Morris.
“And we appreciate it because we have school districts if this budget did not pass, that literally would not be opening their doors this fall.”
Higher education doesn’t fare quite as well. They only got partial funding. Colleges and universities will get 1 billion dollars, most of which will go to the nine state universities, and to cover Monetary Award Program grants for low-income students.
