Governor Rauner’s Amendatory Veto of SB1 Has a Number of Negative Consequences for Schools Across Illinois
Release: August 14, 2017
While the Illinois Senate voted on Sunday to override the Governor's amendatory veto (AV) of SB1, the Evidence-Based Model for education funding reform, a new CTBA analysis has identified at least six aspects of the AV that would each threaten the ability of Illinois school districts to reach adequate funding to serve their students.
These deficiencies underscore the importance of passing SB1.
CTBA finds that Governor Rauner's AV would frustrate SB1's core purpose of creating an adequate and equitable education funding formula in a number of ways, including by weakening:
Governor Rauner’s Amendatory Veto of SB1 Artificially Inflates the Equalized Assessed Value of Most School Districts—Thus Under- Funding the Classroom
Release: August 7, 2017
CTBA analysis shows that school districts around the state would see their funding threatened by Governor Bruce Rauner's amendatory veto of Senate Bill 1, the Evidence Based Model for School Funding Reform.
Senate Bill 1124—An Inequitable Alternative to SB 1
Release: June 30, 2017
This report analyzes some of the major differences between SB1, the "Evidence-Based Funding for Student Success Act" that passed both chambers of the General Assembly; and SB1124, an alternative education funding reform bill sponsored by Senator Jason Barickman.
It finds that SB1 does not favor any school district-it does not create any special "bailout" of CPS-and instead creates a proportional, equitable distribution of new state funding for K-12 education.
How Much Are State Pension Payments Worth to Illinois School Districts?
Release: June 23, 2017
Every school district in Illinois except for the Chicago Public Schools has its teacher pension payments made by the state as a consolidated payment to the Teachers Retirement System. Because of this, it is difficult to determine how much money these pension payments are worth to individual districts. CTBA has created per-district estimates for both normal cost (the payment that covers benefits being earned by current employees) and legacy cost (the debt service payment to make up for previous years' underfunding).
The Cost of a Two-Year Property Tax Freeze For Illinois Schools: Up to $830 Million
Release: June 23, 2017
Governor Bruce Rauner has made a property tax freeze a centerpiece of his demands for a full state budget, and the Illinois Senate passed a bill (SB484) that would enact a two-year freeze in May. But such a freeze, without provision for replacement revenue from the state, would effectively be a massive funding cut for K-12 education in Illinois.