Opinion: Illinois lawmakers face a choice between funding students or a stadium
Beginning next week, Illinois lawmakers have a choice to make during the fall veto session: invest in students, families and communities, or let them fall further behind. Will our elected leaders put students and communities first, or prioritize a new stadium for an ultrawealthy NFL owner? It’s a question of priorities. On Nov. 18, Illinois Federation of Teachers members will head to Springfield for our Lobby Day with a clear message: Illinois needs $670 million in supplemental funding now. That includes $400 million for the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula for pre-K-12 public education, along with funding for early childhood programs, mandated categoricals such as special education transportation, public universities and community colleges, the Office of the Attorney General, and other essential services that support students and our communities. This is about whether students, schools and communities have the resources they need. The numbers make the urgency impossible to ignore. Under the state’s EBF formula, the gap between what districts receive and what they need has grown to nearly $7 billion in the 10 years since the formula was enacted. And it’s getting worse. The gap increased by $1 billion in the past year alone, with more than 700 school districts
