Good afternoon, Chairman Leininger and members of the Education Funding Advisory Board. I am speaking to you on behalf of the fifty-four superintendents of LUDA, whose districts serve more than half of Illinois' public school students. We commend you for taking up the challenge of addressing the way we fund public education in Illinois. It is a difficult but far from impossible task, and one that is critical to the future of our children. 

The members of LUDA express gratitude to Governor Ryan for establishing education as a top priority; keeping his commitment to provide 51 % of new revenue to our public schools, and for appointing this outstanding advisory board to make tough decisions which will provide solutions to the continuing and escalating problems of the current school funding system. 

We also extend our appreciation to the Legislative Leaders and members of the General Assembly for providing a historic and critical continuing appropriation, fully funding mandated categorical programs - especially special education, and increasing capital funding. 

LUDA members offer our full support for your efforts and whatever resources we might provide to enable you to accomplish this vital mission of comprehensive school funding reform. To that end the LUDA Finance Task Force has spent several months preparing the 2000 LUDA Education and Finance Plan. Our Task Force, chaired by Dr. Robert Nielsen, Superintendent of Bloomington, is comprised of LUDA superintendents and business managers. They prepared this Education and Finance Plan with the intent of joining other interested individuals in Illinois in seeking solutions to the ongoing challenge of funding an educational system that. 

• produces outstanding graduates in every community across the state.
• guarantees adequate funding to every student 
• provides equity to every taxpayer.

I am frequently asked; "How does LUDA arrive at consenses given the diversity of districts in your organization?" The answer is not complicated. We come together as a group (after considerable debate and study), because we keep our eyes on the goal. That goal is our commitment to children and quality of public education. The diversity within LUDA reflects the diversity of this state. Illinois can and must unite on behalf of the children across this state. 

The LUDA Education and Finance Plan was approved by the members last Thursday at our Annual Fall Conference. It will be presented to you next Wednesday at your final hearing in Springfield. Our three presenters will be Dr. David Fields, Superintendent of Danville and President of LUDA, representing downstate districts; Dr. Sherry Eagle, Superintendent of Aurora West and Vice President of LUDA, representing suburban districts and Paul Vallas, CEO, Chicago Public Schools, representing Chicago. We recognize that the compressed time frame under which you are operating limits your current focus to the funding formula and the poverty grant. Our proposal contains a list of components which LUDA members believe should serve as the foundation for the State's overall education plan and six components which should be included in any funding formula devised to support that education plan. We offer these components with the intent of providing a specific focus for discussions likely to occur in the near future. 

Three major themes serve as the foundation of the LUDA Plan. The first is that education policy in this ste, based upon the expectations that the citizenry holds for a high quality education system, should be supported by a funding mechanism that is linked to those expectations and the accountability system designed to monitor student performance. LUDA members believe that the framework for that linkage can exist through the Illinois Standards for Learning. 

The second theme of the LUDA proposal is that the current method of funding schools in Illinois requires greater efficiency. Greater efficiency can be realized through a reduction in mandates and categorical funding. 

The third and final theme of the LUDA Plan calls for de-mandating many programs and for giving local schools both the right and responsibility to offer programs that are determined to best meet the needs of the students in their communities and that are aligned with state standards. Appropriate student weightings should be used to assure adequacy. The consolidation of categoricals into block grants has provided the Chicago Public Schools with greater flexibility and a concomitant decrease in administrative burdens. We ask that school districts throughout the State be afforded the same flexibility and local decision making authority. In order words, tell us what to do, not how to do it, and hold us accountable. 

The members of LUDA stand ready to work collaboratively with others interested in addressing the issues of the quality of our schools and the methods of funding them. We are pleased to be a member of the Network 21 Coalition of the Metropolitan Planning Council.

 Thank you for your time and attention. We wish you success and pledge our continuing support and resources. We appreciate your commitment and willingness to make a difference. Together, with a strong statewide grassroots effort, we can create and evoke the political will necessary to accomplish our goals for our children and a quality system of public education for Illinois.