An unchecked reliance of property taxes is the main funding issue for Illinois public schools, Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) said in a recent press release.
Responding to a Chicago City Wire story saying K-12 spending grew 12 times faster than the student population between 1997 and 2016, Batinick said that relying so heavily on property taxes leads to higher spending in wealthy districts and significant state contributions in poorer ones.
“Another issue is the amount of unfunded mandates and extra expenses placed on Illinois schools,” Batinick said in the press release. “School districts pay for worker's compensation for example. Does higher workers' compensation costs benefit kids? No. Does it increase the cost of educating children? Yes.”
Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield)
| http://www.ilga.gov/house/Rep.asp?MemberID=2262
Batinick outlined three steps to promote better education funding in Illinois: Put money into the classroom rather than spending it on administrative costs, decrease the reliance on property taxes, and deal with "unfunded mandates and Illinois' high cost climate," which he said includes workers’ compensation and liability insurance costs.
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