Superintendent: School Funding Reform Would Cost District $1.9 Million

—Information provided by Lincoln-Way School District 210

After passing in the Illinois Senate, SB16-The School Funding Reform Act of 2014, is currently under review in the Illinois House of Representatives, and may be brought for a vote in November.

SB16 would significantly change the current education funding formula, and as written, would have a devastating impact on many suburban school districts.

“Senate Bill 16 will dramatically reduce funding for the high school district as well as the five elementary school districts that send students to Lincoln-Way,” said Lincoln-Way High School District 210 Superintendent R. Scott Tingley.

“The bill does not increase the level of education funding, but changes the way limited state funds are allocated,” said Tingley.

“In other words, this proposed bill will shift nearly the entire financial responsibility of education to local taxpayers.”

• New Lenox District 122: $2,261,235
• Mokena District 159: $ 861,179
• Summit Hill District 161: $2,605,521
• Manhattan District 114: $ 333,837
• Frankfort District 157C: $1,831,591

If SB16 is modified to include a shift in pension costs, District 210 would lose as much as $2.5 million.

At $12,005, Lincoln-Way High School District 210 already has one of the lowest operating expenses per pupil in Will County and operates well below the state average of $15,597, all while maintaining academic excellence at all four of our high schools. SB16 does not take fiscal responsibility or academic performance into consideration

“State education funding should be comprehensive and fair to all parties,” said Superintendent Tingley.