SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Just days before the school bell’s ring, the Democratic-controlled Illinois Legislature is grappling with a Republican governor over how to fix the biggest gap in the U.S. between a state’s richest schools and its poorest. School funding is in limbo after Gov. Bruce Rauner used his veto powers this month to…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois lawmakers will be in session next week as a showdown with Gov. Bruce Rauner over school finance continues. The Senate will meet Sunday to deal with the Republican’s veto of a school funding revamp. The House will convene Wednesday. The legislation attempts to make state public-school funding fairer. Rauner used…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – Illinois Senate President John Cullerton says he’ll send a bill that overhauls how Illinois doles out money to schools to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s desk on Monday. The Republican governor has said he’ll use his amendatory powers to rewrite the bill and send it back to the Senate over objections to funding…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri public K-12 schools appear set to get roughly $48 million more in basic aid next fiscal year. Senators voted 19-14 on Tuesday in favor of bumping up funding to meet targets called for under state law. Because House members also passed a proposed budget that would meet funding goals,…
( KTRS ) Illinois public schools could receive a $700 million increase to battle poverty under a budget plan proposed by the House majority leader. Democrat Barbara Flynn Currie’s legislation includes more than $5 billion for K-12 education. $700 million of that has been designated for “equity grant” funding. The spending plan would force Republican…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan is forming a legislative panel to discuss changes to how Illinois funds its schools. Madigan says the bipartisan Education Funding Task Force will meet through the spring to craft legislation designed to ensure schools are funded equitably throughout the state. He made the announcement Tuesday. The…