Rod Blagojevich

Governor

August 18, 2003

To the Honorable Members of the

Illinois Senate

93^rd General Assembly

Pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(e) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return Senate Bill 207 entitled “AN ACT concerning schools,” with the following specific recommendation for change:

            on page 2, by replacing lines 19 and 20 with the following:

            “(b) The State Board of Education, from any moneys it may have available for this purpose, must implement and administer a grant program that”.

Improving student achievement at schools on our academic watch list is a top priority and one we cannot afford to sacrifice.  Given the fiscal climate, signing this bill in its current form is not feasible.  However, we believe there is significant room for savings in the operations of the State Board of Education.  To the extent that savings can be found in the State Board of Education, it would be fitting to apply those resources to the intent of this legislation.  I respectfully request your concurrence.

Sincerely,

Rod R. Blagojevich

Governor