Will County's 35 school districts will receive an extra $17.25 million this year if the Illinois House accepts Gov. Bruce Rauner's version of a school funding bill, according to an analysis by the Illinois State Board of Education.
House members convene tomorrow, where they will decide whether to override Rauner's amendatory veto of Senate Bill 1, which redistributes state school funds from suburban districts to Chicago Public Schools (CPS).
Rauner's changes to the bill would remove a provision that bails out the insolvent CPS, shifting CPS' $17 billion in debt to suburban property taxpayers.
On Sunday, the Illinois Senate voted to override Rauner's veto.
Will County State Sens. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D-Crest Hill), Linda Holmes (D-Aurora), Pat McGuire (D-Joliet), Michael Hastings (D-New Lenox), Donne Trotter (D-Crete) and Toi Hutchinson (D-Peotone) sided with Chicago Democrats, voting ‘yes’ on the override.
Sen. Michael Connolly (R-Naperville) voted against it, siding with Gov. Rauner
On Aug. 1, prior to the Senate vote, Rauner held a press conference outlining what he felt was at stake with this legislation.
“I hope they vote to support our plan and help us change how we fund our schools for the better; help us finally make education fair and equitable for all our schools,” Rauner said. “It’s time to act. If lawmakers refuse to support the numbers and our changes, then let’s come together to find another solution, quickly. Let’s get a compromise quickly. If they will not support our amendatory veto, then let’s come together. Our children need action. They deserve so much better than what we currently have. This is too important to let partisan games get in the way.”
Will County districts that would gain the most include Plainfield 202 ($7.9 million), Joliet 86 ($4.14 million), Lincoln Way 210 ($1.75 million) and Joliet 204 ($1.6 million).
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How will your district fare in Gov. Rauner's schools plan?
The table below shows how much more Will County school districts would gain if there is no override of Rauner's amendatory veto of SB 1.
| District Name | Base Funding Minimum (Last Year) | Total FY 17 State Contribution (Funding w/AV) | SB1 Original | Compare to last year | Net +/- |
| PLAINFIELD 202 | $83,218,744 | $98,351,563 | $90,442,140 | $15,132,819 | $7,909,423 |
| JOLIET 86 | $75,987,522 | $88,947,825 | $84,804,310 | $12,960,303 | $4,143,515 |
| LINCOLN WAY 210 | $6,989,248 | $9,315,488 | $7,560,402 | $2,326,240 | $1,755,085 |
| JOLIET 204 | $10,829,752 | $14,482,167 | $12,898,903 | $3,652,415 | $1,583,263 |
| CONSOLIDATED 168 | $10,915,938 | $11,885,374 | $11,527,284 | $969,436 | $358,090 |
| STEGER 194 | $5,863,551 | $6,783,914 | $6,584,814 | $920,364 | $199,100 |
| WILL COUNTY 92 | $3,050,314 | $3,310,334 | $3,123,425 | $260,021 | $186,909 |
| CHANEY-MONGE 88 | $2,070,427 | $2,506,831 | $2,340,657 | $436,403 | $166,174 |
| NEW LENOX 122 | $4,589,359 | $4,887,255 | $4,740,627 | $297,895 | $146,628 |
| LOCKPORT 205 | $3,017,412 | $3,232,634 | $3,112,279 | $215,222 | $120,355 |
| TAFT 90 | $882,495 | $1,060,366 | $959,251 | $177,871 | $101,114 |
| MANHATTAN 114 | $3,322,466 | $3,502,589 | $3,403,751 | $180,124 | $98,839 |
| SUMMIT HILL 161 | $2,622,420 | $2,811,342 | $2,718,352 | $188,923 | $92,990 |
| HOMER 33C | $3,250,348 | $3,418,112 | $3,335,178 | $167,764 | $82,933 |
| ELWOOD 203 | $268,113 | $347,050 | $286,103 | $78,937 | $60,947 |
| PEOTONE 207U | $1,408,655 | $1,502,380 | $1,447,019 | $93,724 | $55,361 |
| TROY 30C | $977,703 | $1,056,284 | $1,001,342 | $78,581 | $54,942 |
| BEECHER 200U | $1,714,344 | $1,809,982 | $1,756,713 | $95,638 | $53,270 |
| FAIRMONT 89 | $1,356,910 | $1,438,400 | $1,385,773 | $81,490 | $52,628 |
| VALLEY VIEW 365U | $681,801 | $757,438 | $709,727 | $75,637 | $47,711 |
| MOKENA 159 | $1,302,434 | $1,373,311 | $1,338,273 | $70,876 | $35,037 |
| LOCKPORT 91 | $910,337 | $962,030 | $932,973 | $51,693 | $29,057 |
| RICHLAND 88A | $1,008,711 | $1,061,855 | $1,035,697 | $53,144 | $26,158 |
| UNION 81 | $829,033 | $865,113 | $849,119 | $36,080 | $15,994 |
| WILMINGTON 209U | $2,783,790 | $2,789,942 | $2,787,874 | $6,152 | $2,068 |
| FRANKFORT 157C | $1,846,337 | $1,850,480 | $1,849,088 | $4,143 | $1,393 |
| REED CUSTER 255U | $1,167,156 | $1,170,143 | $1,169,139 | $2,987 | $1,004 |
| CHANNAHON 17 | $554,143 | $556,321 | $555,589 | $2,178 | $732 |
| LARAWAY 70C | $1,000,836 | $1,001,778 | $1,001,461 | $942 | $316 |
| ROCKDALE 84 | $651,848 | $652,478 | $652,266 | $630 | $211 |
| CRETE MONEE 201U | $14,905,043 | $15,230,476 | $15,360,380 | $325,433 | -$129,905 |
| Total | $17,251,346 |
Source: Illinois State Board of Education
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