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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
8has the primary responsibility for financing the system of
9public education."; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The economic competitiveness of the United States
11and Illinois in the global economy requires a well-educated
12workforce; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Education is more important than ever because it
14is an essential step to entering and remaining in the middle
15class; and
 
16    WHEREAS, High school dropouts are more than twice as
17likely to be unemployed and three times as likely to receive
18welfare assistance; nationally, this costs billions of dollars
19to government-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 five million
10workers with 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
18likely to vote than those without a high school diploma, and
19females with a college education are 40% more likely to vote
20than those without a high school diploma; a one-year increase
21in median education level is associated with a more than 13%

 

 

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1increase in political 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
16a higher 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
20estimated that if every high school dropout graduated, the
21national savings in public health costs would exceed $40

 

 

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1billion annually; 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
5State and local resources; the foundation level has remained
6at $6,119 since the 2009-2010 school year, despite rising
7costs of education; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The Education Funding Advisory Board recommended
9that the foundation level be changed to $9,204 for Fiscal Year
102016 to adequately fund the educational needs of students; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Illinois currently ranks last in state share of
12P-12 education funding; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Improved education and more stable employment
14greatly increases tax revenue, returning at least seven
15dollars for every dollar invested in pre-kindergarten
16education; and
 
17    WHEREAS, A high quality education system should be the
18identity and legacy that we establish for Illinois and the
19United States; in addition, education should be the number one
20budget priority for the State of Illinois; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
2HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3we acknowledge the importance of having a high quality
4education system and all of the societal benefits that go
5along with it; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That we encourage the General Assembly to make
7education a priority in the budget for the State of Illinois
8and to fully fund elementary and secondary education; and be
9it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That we encourage the business community to
11advocate for a high quality education system in Illinois,
12which will benefit the business climate as well as the
13citizens of Illinois; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That we encourage the General Assembly to
15continue to strive to create an adequately funded and high
16quality education system for the benefit of all citizens.