State Board of Education
endorses
call for additional $135 per
student
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR
INFORMATION, CALL
December
14, 2000 (217)
782-4648
Chicago – The
State Board of Education today endorsed a proposal to increase the general
state aid foundation level by $135, to $4,560 per student,
as recommended by the
Education
Funding Advisory Board (EFAB).
State
Superintendent of Education Glenn W. McGee had recommended the State Board endorse the proposed
increase and said his
FY02 budget
recommendations to the Board will reflect that figure. McGee and the State Board
delayed adoption of a budget at this meeting to allow time to incorporate EFAB’s recommendation. A Board
vote on a final budget is scheduled for January.
As part of the Education
Reform Act of 1997, the
General Assembly prescribed foundation levels to provide a minimum level of support to local school
districts that increased
$100 each of the following three years. It also approved
a continuing appropriation to support those levels for the same period. Both these measures expire June 30, 2001
EFAB, appointed by Governor George Ryan
earlier this year, is charged with studying the foundation level and making recommendations for FY 2002 and beyond. The members suggested Wednesday that the current level must be higher
to ensure students an adequate public education.
Preferably, the foundation
level increase should
be
even more than $135,
EFAB Chair Robert Leininger told the Statte Board Wednesday at its
regular monthly meeting. However, given political realities, the $135 figure
is about as high as EFAB believes will gain legislative support, he said.
EFAB
will continue to evaluate and seek improvements in the state’s overall system for
funding public education in consultation with the State Board of Education.
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