Full Text of HR0771 098th General Assembly
HR0771 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The goal of the State's education funding system | 3 | | is to afford all school districts the opportunity to provide a | 4 | | comparable, quality education; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Illinois' past and present financial conditions | 6 | | continue to have a detrimental effect on the students attending | 7 | | school districts not under the Property Tax Extension | 8 | | Limitation Law; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, The primary task of the General State Aid formula, | 10 | | which appropriated $4.4 billion in Fiscal Year 2014, is to | 11 | | provide funding for all school districts by measuring the local | 12 | | property wealth of a district and providing State funds on an | 13 | | equalized basis; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Since the General State Aid formula was updated in | 15 | | 1999 to include an adjustment that accounts for perceived | 16 | | losses in local resources due to the Property Tax Extension | 17 | | Limitation Law, it has diverted limited resources from the | 18 | | General State Aid Foundation Level grants; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, In 2000, 88% of the General State Aid formula was | 20 | | used for Foundation Level grants to equalize school district | 21 | | resources across the State; Property Tax Extension Limitation |
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| 1 | | Law adjustments represented just 2% of the formula calculation; | 2 | | and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, In 2013, the Foundation Level grants dropped to | 4 | | 53% of the formula and Property Tax Extension Limitation Law | 5 | | adjustments now represent 13% of the formula; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, In 2000, the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law | 7 | | adjustments required $46 million from funds available for | 8 | | General State Aid; in 2013, that amount escalated to $629 | 9 | | million; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, This represents an increase of over 1,300% in | 11 | | Property Tax Extension Limitation Law adjustment funding; if | 12 | | this trend continues, Foundation Level grants to equalize | 13 | | school district resources will soon represent less than half of | 14 | | the General State Aid formula; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, General State Aid appropriations have declined | 16 | | over the last 3 years from $4.6 billion in Fiscal Year 2011 to | 17 | | $4.4 billion in Fiscal Year 2014 - a reduction of $200 million; | 18 | | and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Fully funding General State Aid in Fiscal Year | 20 | | 2014 would have cost over $5 billion dollars, which represents | 21 | | a $600 million gap; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, In the past 3 years, school districts have | 2 | | witnessed a proration of General State Aid funds because the | 3 | | General State Aid Foundation Level has not been statutorily | 4 | | adjusted to match the appropriation, causing teacher layoffs | 5 | | and termination of school programs, services, and activities; | 6 | | and | 7 | | WHEREAS, The mathematical difference between the Property | 8 | | Tax Extension Limitation Law adjustment and the prorated amount | 9 | | of General State Aid is roughly the same; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, Prorating General State Aid only widens the gap | 11 | | between the wealthiest districts and the poorest districts, due | 12 | | in large part to the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law | 13 | | adjustment; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, An inference can be made that non-Property Tax | 15 | | Extension Limitation Law counties and their school districts | 16 | | are subsidizing Property Tax Extension Limitation Law counties | 17 | | and their school districts; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, The General State Aid proration over the past 3 | 19 | | years has made it difficult for school districts to meet State | 20 | | mandates; therefore, be it
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 2 | | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 3 | | we urge the Governor and the members of the General Assembly to | 4 | | cease the proration of General State Aid allocations and to | 5 | | fully fund the formula to benefit school districts most in need | 6 | | of State support through the formula by prioritizing the | 7 | | Foundation Level grant; and be it further
| 8 | | RESOLVED, That we pledge to work with all stakeholders to | 9 | | determine a State aid formula that equalizes funding for school | 10 | | districts, utilizing local and State funds, to ensure that all | 11 | | school districts have similar resources to educate students.
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