Suburban School Districts in Crosshairs with New School Funding, Pension Revamp

If you asked Illinois lawmakers if it’s fair that some school districts spend well above $25,000 per student and others spend just over $6,000, my guess is nearly all would say no.

If you asked lawmakers if it’s fair one community pays for its own pensions and for some of the rest of the state’s, I’d bet nearly all would say no. If you asked them whether it’s fair for people to get multiple 6-percent salary increases year after year after year in order to boost their retirement income, a majority probably would say no.

Yet, whenever these topics come up for discussion in Springfield, there’s great dissension and division. The state will fracture, largely along geographic fault lines, with suburban legislators feeling like their region is in the crosshairs on all three topics.

Now, the suburbs are in the crosshairs, along with some central and southwestern Illinois counties, in a new school funding and pension revamp offered by state Rep. Christian Mitchell and other Chicago Democrats.

Here’s what Mitchell’s bill would do, which includes shifting suburban teacher pension costs to local districts.