Illinois School Funding Reform Plan Could Yield an Extra $800,000 for Dolton 149

(Calumet City, IL) – Dolton School District 149 is poised to boost implementation of its reading and math “District Improvement Plan” thanks to the Illinois legislature’s adoption of a new state budget and a new education funding formula that could provide the south suburban school system an additional $800,000 next year.

The General Assembly’s new budget plan approved earlier in July, Senate Bill 6, includes approximately $350 million in additional state funding for Illinois elementary and secondary education and ties the school funding to approval by Governor Bruce Rauner of a new statewide funding formula plan, Senate Bill 1, that boosts funding for low-income districts, such as Dolton 149.

According to the Illinois State Board of Education’s May 2017 estimate of Senate Bill 1’s financial impact, Dolton 149 would see its annual state contribution rise from $18,760,117 to $19,558,407 or $798,289.

“An additional $800,000 per year, would be a significant investment in Dolton 149’s new “District Improvement Plan” which seeks to address the district’s core academic priorities of boosting reading and math scores,” said Dolton 149 Superintendent Dr. Shelly Davis-Jones. “This money could help open a new academic era in Dolton 149 schools.”

Dr. Davis-Jones and the district’s top leadership have worked with the Illinois Center for School Improvement at the American Institute for Research since 2015 to create a plan that, among other things, aims to increase student reading and mathematics growth.

“We believe that our district improvement plan will ensure our academic transformation and district growth, and an additional $800,000 per year from the state would ensure that our plan’s implementation can be firmly maintained,” said Dr. Davis-Jones.

Rauner has pledged an amendatory veto of Senate Bill 1, which would scuttle the new funding formula. But a provision in the new state budget says that the release of funding to school districts statewide for the 2017-2018 school year depends on the approval of the new school formula plan soon to be sent to the governor’s desk.

“I would urge Governor Rauner to reconsider his position on Senate Bill 1 and sign the legislation to both allow schools to open in the fall and to provide an additional $800,000 to Dolton 149,” said Dolton 149 school board President Darlene Gray Everett. “Students in low-income school districts deserve the same opportunity to have a quality education as those in wealthy areas.”

davidormsby@davidormsby.com