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Manar Hopes For School Funding Compromise

Peoria Public Radio

The chief sponsor of Illinois’ education funding reform bill says he still hopes to work out a compromise with Republicans on a new version of the bill.

But State Senator Andy Manar of Bunker Hill says that if he has to, he’ll back an override of Governor Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto of the measure, when the Illinois Senate meets on Sunday.

“We as a caucus, in the Senate Democratic caucus, we intend to fix this problem one way or the other. I think the more desired path is to try to find compromise. But if that’s not achievable, for whatever reason, we are prepared to override the veto.”

Manar, speaking on WILL’s daily talk show, “The 21st”, says the one thing he will NOT do is accept the governor’s proposed changes to the school funding bill. He says they would defeat the bill’s purpose.

Illinois lawmakers are under the gun to come up with an education bill that adheres to an evidence-based funding model laid out in the state budget. If they can’t, public schools in the state would start the school year without state funding.