Area administrators, students and board members traveled to the Illinois capital Wednesday to meet with legislators about education funding for FY17.
Rep. Don Moffitt was one of the lawmakers who heard concerns of representatives from Regional Office of Education 33.
Moffitt said they were laying out concerns for what would happen if Illinois goes into next year without an education funding bill and he doubts that the impasse will last that long but it’s important to raise the questions.
“Students shouldn’t have to be worrying anyone about will schools be open all year,” Moffitt says. “We need to get beyond that and guarantee them they will be open.”
Moffitt says it will be difficult to pass a bill to refigure the school funding formula to take more from wealthier districts to give to schools in communities with high levels of property and lower property values.
Mainly Democrats have pushed for such an overhaul, and it could be a sticking point that prevents the Democratic controlled legislator from sending Gov. Bruce Rauner an education bill he’d be willing to sign.
Moffitt says he is staying positive that not only can a full budget be passed by the end of the month for FY16 but FY17 as well.
“Without a budget it’s leaving school districts, leaving students, leaving parents, leaving administrators and teachers with a degree of uncertainty and that’s unfortunate,” Moffitt says. “It shouldn’t be this way.”
Rep. Hammond and Sen. John Sullivan who both represent Macomb where Western Illinois University is located say they are in favor of an education bill that includes higher ed.
