Determined to get children back to school on time, Gov. Bruce Rauner has announced legislators are being called back to Springfield Wednesday for a special session focused on Senate Bill 1, the school funding reform bill. The Governor claims public schools throughout Illinois may not open on time unless SB 1 is sent to him. The governor plans to amend SB 1 to remove the Chicago Public Schools’ pension bailout that’s currently included in the bill, which then would provide more money to children and schools statewide.
Senate Democrats have delayed advancing the bill to the governor’s desk, choosing instead to use schoolchildren as political pawns, says the Governor. And with time running out before the beginning of the new school year, Gov. Rauner insisted lawmakers prioritize Illinois’ children.
“Democrats have been holding this bill since May 31. Our families and students cannot wait any longer,” Gov. Rauner said. “We must act now, which is why I’m calling lawmakers back to Springfield for a special session. Our schools must open on time.”
Gov. Rauner says his amendatory veto would result in higher education funding for nearly every school district in Illinois. A new website launched by Gov. Rauner shows how much additional money each school district will receive as a result of the governor’s planned action: https://www.illinois.gov/gov/SitePages/SchoolDistrictFunding.aspx
[Posted July 24, 2017.]
