- Published: Thursday, April 02, 2015 02:07 PM
GLENDALE HEIGHTS—State Senator Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) hosted a meeting with suburban superintendents and Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) to discuss school funding reform.
Cullerton invited Manar to talk about the impact Senate Bill 1 would have on rural and suburban school districts Wednesday.
“Senator Cullerton understands that the suburbs and downstate share the same concerns about our schools. He is an effective ambassador for both rural and suburban communities,” Manar said
Cullerton is a participant in the Illinois Farm Bureau’s Adopt-A-Legislator program with Montgomery County. He has visited local farms, met with community leaders and toured agricultural businesses.
“Every time I visit Montgomery County I get a better, deeper understanding for the needs of its communities. I’m glad Senator Manar had this chance to visit my district and have an open, productive conversation with our school officials about his updates,” Cullerton said.
The changes from last year’s proposal, SB 16, include measures to account for higher suburban workforce costs, a more accurate way of measuring poverty, improved funding for bilingual students and additional funding to districts with higher-than-average rates of students with special education needs.
The updated proposal also speeds up a study to determine the base level of funding needed for student growth, and it protects low-spending districts from losses.
“I appreciate any opportunity to discuss the need to reform how we fund our schools. I’m grateful that Senator Cullerton hosted this discussion,” Manar said
