HR0009 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0009 LRB099 03592 GRL 23600 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois serves over 2,000,000 students in 862 school districts statewide; and

WHEREAS, State funding for pre-kindergarten through grade 12 education in Illinois has been reduced by $636,640,000 since fiscal year 2009; and

WHEREAS, The State is currently not meeting its statutory obligations of funding general State aid at the Foundation Level of support of $6,119; instead, the State is underfunding it by close to $560 million, resulting in an 89% proration rate; and

WHEREAS, Illinois ranks 50th in terms of the state proportion of kindergarten through grade 12 funding, providing for just 32.5% of all funds spent on kindergarten through grade 12 public education, despite the plain language of Article X of the Illinois Constitution, which states: "The State has the primary responsibility for financing the system of public education."; and

WHEREAS, In 2007, 23% of Illinois school districts reported deficit spending; today, more than 67% of Illinois school districts report deficit spending; and

WHEREAS, Reductions in State spending have increased school districts' reliance on local resources, impacting classroom services and financial stability, at a time when school districts are required to undertake more necessary improvements and initiatives, such as teacher and principal evaluations, new and higher learning standards, and assessments; and

WHEREAS, To address this important issue, the Illinois Senate passed Senate Resolution 431 in the spring of 2013, which created the Advisory Committee on Education Funding; and

WHEREAS, The Senate Advisory Committee on Education Funding sought input from stakeholders and members of the public on issues and possible improvements to the existing funding system and eventually made recommendations on education funding reform; and

WHEREAS, Some, but not all, of the final recommendations of the Senate Advisory Committee on Education Funding can be found in Senate Bill 16 (Chief Sponsors Sen. Manar and Rep. Chapa LaVia) of the 98th General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, Senate Bill 16 was an important first step in moving forward on the topic of education funding reform; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois House of Representatives should continue its discussion and give full consideration to any and all recommendations on how to adequately address funding and, more importantly, underfunding of Illinois education; and

WHEREAS, The House of Representatives must stay engaged in public education issues and be prepared to make legislative and administrative recommendations, but to do so it is important that our members have an in-depth understanding of how the State funds education, what changes have been made over recent history, where there is room for improvement, and what implications come as result of any reform; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that there is created the House Education Funding Advisory Committee, consisting of members appointed as follows: 4 members of the House majority caucus appointed by the Speaker of the House, one of whom shall be designated as a co-chair, and 4 members of the House minority caucus appointed by the House Minority Leader, one of whom shall be designated as a co-chair; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the House Education Funding Advisory Committee shall do the following:

(1) conduct a thorough review of the existing distribution methods and expenditures of all pre-kindergarten through grade 12 education funding, with a focus on general State aid as provided in Section 18-8.05 of the School Code;

(2) make recommendations to implement an education funding system that:

(A) is adequate;

(B) is equitable;

(C) prepares students for achievement and success after high school; and

(D) supports teachers and school leaders; and

(3) consider the following when making its recommendations:

(A) the number of students in a school and school district and the level of need of those students, including special needs populations;

(B) a school district's ability to provide local resources to pay for basic educational needs;

(C) transparency and accountability;

(D) revenue predictability to support sound planning and budgeting by school boards and administrations; and

(E) the long-term implications and outcomes of the funding system, along with provisions that require the system to be monitored, publicly reported, assessed, and improved over time; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the House Education Funding Advisory Committee shall seek input from stakeholders and members of the public on issues and possible improvements to the existing funding system; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the House Education Funding Advisory Committee shall utilize the findings and reports of the Senate Advisory Committee on Education Funding in the preparation of its report to the Speaker and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage the House Education Funding Advisory Committee and Senate Advisory Committee on Education Funding to hold joint meetings to discuss the recommendations and proposed policies created by both committees; and be it further

RESOLVED, That members of the House Education Funding Advisory Committee shall serve without compensation, and the State Board of Education shall provide administrative and other support to the House Education Funding Advisory Committee; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the House Education Funding Advisory Committee shall meet at the call of the co-chairs, but shall meet a minimum of 4 times per year; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the House Education Funding Advisory Committee shall share its legislative and administrative recommendations with the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives no later than December 31, 2015; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the Chairperson of the State Board of Education and the State Superintendent of Education; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the State Board of Education shall provide a copy of this resolution to school districts in the State.