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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Article X, Section 1 of the Illinois Constitution
3provides that "A fundamental goal of the People of the State is
4the educational development of all persons to the limits of
5their capacities."; the Section also provides that "The State
6shall provide for an efficient system of high quality public
7educational institutions and services." and that "The State has
8the primary responsibility for financing the system of public
9education."; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The economic competitiveness of the United States
11and Illinois in the global economy requires a well-educated
12workforce; and
 
13    WHEREAS, In 2015, education is more important than ever
14because it is an essential step to entering and remaining in
15the middle class; and
 
16    WHEREAS, High school dropouts are more than twice as likely
17to be unemployed and 3 times as likely to receive welfare
18assistance; nationally, this costs billions of dollars to
19government-funded assistance programs annually; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The United States Census Bureau estimates that a
21person with a high school diploma will earn $9,634 more per

 

 

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1year than someone without a high school diploma; and
 
2    WHEREAS, In 2014, people without a high school diploma had
3a 9% unemployment rate, compared to a 6% rate for those with a
4high school diploma; and
 
5    WHEREAS, A well-educated citizenry improves the business
6climate by providing highly skilled workers that employers
7need; and
 
8    WHEREAS, According to a Georgetown University study, the
9United States economy will face a shortage of 5 million workers
10with the necessary education and training by 2020; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The majority of jobs that will be created will
12require some sort of education and training after high school;
13and
 
14    WHEREAS, Males with a college education live an average of
158 years longer than those without a high school diploma, while
16females with a college education lived an average of 6 years
17longer; males with a college education are also 55% more likely
18to vote than those without a high school diploma, and females
19with a college education are 40% more likely to vote than those
20without a high school diploma; a one-year increase in median
21education level is associated with a more than 13% increase in

 

 

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1political primary turnouts; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Between 1987 and 2007, the United States has
3increased spending on incarceration by 127%, compared with a
421% increase in funding for education during the same time
5period; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Forty-one percent of all prisoners have not
7completed high school, compared to 18% of the general adult
8population; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The annual cost of incarcerating an individual is
10roughly $32,000, while the annual cost of educating a student
11is about $11,000; a 5% increase in male graduation rates
12nationally would save an estimated $5 billion annually in
13crime-related expenses; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Investment in education is shown to prevent
15violence by providing opportunities and knowledge that create a
16higher quality life; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The average annual public health cost is an
18estimated $2,700 per high school dropout, $1,000 per high
19school graduate, and $170 per college graduate; it is estimated
20that if every high school dropout graduated, the national
21savings in public health costs would exceed $40 billion

 

 

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1annually; and
 
2    WHEREAS, The foundation level is the statutorily set
3minimum per-pupil funding necessary to adequately educate
4public K-12 students in Illinois through a combination of State
5and local resources; the foundation level has remained at
6$6,119 since the 2009-2010 school year, despite rising costs of
7education; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The Education Funding Advisory Board recommended
9that the foundation level be changed to $8,899 for Fiscal Year
102016 to adequately fund the educational needs of students; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has not fully funded K-12
12education since Fiscal Year 2009; and
 
13    WHEREAS, For Fiscal Year 2015, General State Aid to schools
14was prorated at 87.1% and the State's share of K-12 education
15funding was underfunded by nearly $650 million; Illinois
16currently ranks last in state share of P-12 education funding;
17and
 
18    WHEREAS, Improved education and more stable employment
19greatly increase tax revenue, such as a return of at least 7
20dollars for every dollar invested in pre-kindergarten
21education; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, A high quality education system should be the
2identity and legacy that we establish for Illinois and the
3United States; in addition, education should be the number one
4budget priority for the State of Illinois; therefore, be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
7acknowledge the importance of having a high quality education
8system and all of the societal benefits that go along with it;
9and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That we encourage the General Assembly to make
11education a priority in the Fiscal Year 2016 budget and to
12fully fund elementary and secondary education; and be it
13further
 
14    RESOLVED, That we encourage the business community to
15advocate for a high quality education system in Illinois, which
16will benefit the business climate as well as the citizens of
17Illinois; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That we encourage the General Assembly to
19continue to strive to create an adequately funded and high
20quality education system for the benefit of all citizens.