Chicago public hearing - September 12, 2002

Kathryn Nesburg, League of Women Voters

The League of Women Voters of Illinois and of Chicago thank the Education Funding Advisory Board (EFAB) for the opportunity to respond to EFAB's Preliminary Report of August 27, 2002, titled "Recommendations for Systemic Reform of Funding for Elementary and Secondary Education In Illinois."

The League finds this to be the most reasonable proposal made in years to bring fairness, stability and equity to funding public schools in Illinois. The Preliminary Report is a serious and thorough effort to deal with the longstanding inadequacies in funding schools and in schools' abilities to provide adequate, equal education to students in all areas of the state. The dismal state of current funding is exposed by the large difference between the report's recommended amount for the school aid formula and the current amount.

The League especially commends the recognition that additional, stable revenue streams must be tapped in order to pay for the recommendations. The League has a long-standing position in support of an increase in the state income tax to help pay for education and other state services. The League position also calls for balance among the income, property, and sales taxes. There has been a serious imbalance for many years. The imbalance has been exacerbated by the unfortunate tendency to "reduce the tax burden" for some corporations and taxpayers. According to the Center for Tax and Budget. Accountability, tax expenditures are draining $500 million each year from Illinois' tax receipts. These loopholes must be closed.

It is imperative that any new revenue streams be operating and producing new revenues before any existing revenue streams are reduced. In the past, projections of new revenues were exaggerated and failed to produce the sums that were anticipated. Education is too important to the future of Illinois and its children to subject it to such stresses.

The state should not subsidize districts which are too small to meet state standards, but rather should encourage consolidation through financial incentives.

The League agrees that the poverty grant portion of the state aid formula is necessary to provided additional funding to meet the needs of poor students. The current use of the census information in the formula should be discarded because it rapidly becomes out of date.

The federal government needs to be pressured to adequately fund special education mandates. It also needs to deal with the many issues involving costs for medical care. These two areas consume ever-increasing portions of school districts' budgets.

The League is an active member of Network 21, a coalition of Illinois business, labor, civic and education organizations. It is our hope that many voices calling for changes in the way we pay for our schools will bring about that change.