Senate Democrats who long have insisted that Illinois’ flawed school funding formula is causing a crisis in classrooms across the state agreed last week to participate in the governor’s bipartisan panel to study the issue and report back with findings.
Five Senate Democrats were appointed to the commission: Senator Kimberly A. Lightford of Maywood, Senator Iris Y. Martinez of Chicago, Senator Daniel Biss of Evanston, Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant of Shorewood and Senator Andy Manar of Bunker Hill.
Manar, who has been leading a statewide discussion about overhauling the state’s worst-in-the-nation school funding formula, said that bringing lawmakers from both parties together is a good thing.
“I’m of the belief that anytime there can be a public conversation between Republicans and Democrats representing all geographic areas and school districts in our state, that’s a step in the right direction,” Manar told a reporter with the Bloomington Pantagraph.
School funding reform is a priority for Senate Democrats, who have put forth proposals to overhaul the nearly 20-year-old formula and have called for Gov. Bruce Rauner to show leadership on the issue because of the educational disparities it creates statewide, particularly in school districts with high rates of poverty.
• Crain's: Democrats agree to join reform panel
• Chicago Tonight: New commission forms to solve old problem