Nov 28, 2014
The Advance Illinois school report “The State We’re In” has some good news for Illinois school, including gains in high school graduation rates in Chicago.
But the report overall is not cause for optimism about the state of Illinois’ elementary and high schools and the preparedness of Illinois students for the job market that awaits them after graduation.
Of particular concern is the academic performance of low-income students, whose reading and math proficiency are alarmingly low.
What to do about this? Well, Illinois could start by getting more state money to the school districts where low property values limit the amount of funding that can be raised locally. That’s the goal of an ambitious bill in the Illinois General Assembly that seeks to rewrite the formula by which Illinois divvies out state funds to local school districts.
The problem is, that means taking money away from relatively affluent districts (where residents already pay exorbitant amounts in property tax to fund their own schools) and giving it to low-income school districts (where property values are so low that even the highest tax rates can bring in enough money for schools).
Senate Bill 16 and Advance Illinois’ new report are the topics for this week’s “Only in Illinois.”
NEXT ARTICLE October roundup: Illinois unemployment rates by cities, counties and metro areas
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