Our Position in Brief:
The League supports a system of high quality elementary and secondary schools
for all children in Illinois, which provides for local control
of school program and budget within minimum program requirements
set by the State. The State should provide leadership to local
communities for program development and should set standards
for recognition and accreditation of schools.
The effectiveness of educational programs
should be evaluated regularly. The League favors minimum standards
for graduation and promotion of students.
The League supports increased professionalism for
teachers including stringent teacher preparation
standards, comprehensive teacher and principal evaluations,
changes in tenure and increased teacher compensation.
The State should assume the major responsibility for funding
public schools and guarantee an adequate level of
financial support.
League believes that charters should be established
by local school boards and that the Illinois State
Board of Education should continue to monitor the progress
of existing charter schools before supporting further expansion.
Full Statement of Where We Stand on Schools
League Activity/Outlook:
Fiscal policy and school funding issues are closely connected
because education is a large part of the State budget. Other
League positions are also affected because the State has insufficient
revenues to provide for many of the needs that the League
has identified.
Fiscal problems that the public schools face are serious,
widespread and chronic. The "new" money that schools received
in the past two fiscal years has allowed schools to keep up
with inflation, but was not sufficient to allow the schools
to make needed changes.
Many districts have been forced to make cuts in program
and increase class sizes. Special education is funded
by the state at the same level it has been at for over thirty
years. Many districts make do with old and out of date schoolbooks.
The amount paid into the state aid formula continues to be
about $1000 less per pupil than the amount recommended by
the Education Funding Advisory Board (EFAB). The range
of spending per pupil varies from less than $5000 to more
than $18,000. So the quality of education received
continues to vary, depending on where students live.
The League will continue to work to obtain adequate
funding for schools.
Additional Resource:
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