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.
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
Why has the LWVIL made education funding and fiscal reform a priority issue for the 2010-2011 biennium?
- 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 priorities that the League has identified.
- Using property taxes instead of state dollars as the primary funding source for schools creates wide gaps in school funding between communities, depending on the size of their tax base. Only when the state provides sufficient education funding to offset the widest disparity is it possible for less wealthy communities to provide their students with an adequately funded education.
- For years, Illinois has not collected sufficient revenue to provide basic government functions such as education and human services and also pay the state's pension obligations.
- Current state revenues are based on sources that will not grow with today's service-based economy, even after the recession ends, so that the revenue shortfall may continue to worsen without restructuring.
- Current Illinois state taxes the mix of income, sales, property taxes and fees are structured in a way that unfairly puts the greatest tax burden on those who can least afford it.
- Due to the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, local districts might not be feeling the immediate effects of Illinois' budget crisis. Once that money is gone, without HB 174, Illinois schools will be in an even worse crisis mode.
Legislation that would solve the state's fiscal quagmire was passed by the Senate in May, 2009. The bill was not called for a vote in the House last spring, but it could be revived in the fall veto session. HB 174, or equal legislation, would greatly help the state's schools by providing enough education funding to allow schools to lessen their reliance on property taxes. This legislation would also restructure the tax system to make it fairer and more sustainable. Read more about HB 174.
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