Carbondale Reporter

Gov. Bruce Rauner recently established an Illinois School Funding Reform Commission to address education-funding needs in the Prairie State, instructing designated team members to devise a more effective school-funding formula.

"Education is the most important thing we do as a society, but Illinois has failed to adequately and equitably fund schools for years," Rauner said. "We should put more money into our schools and focus resources to the students that need them the most. Today, we are ensuring the bipartisan momentum to reform our school-funding formula does not fade away."

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Charged with creating a report by Feb. 1, 2017, the task force will consist of five appointed members from the current administration. Secretary of Education Beth Purvis will serve as chairwoman, while Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Chairman James Meeks will serve as a liaison between ISBE and the commission.

"Ensuring our schools are properly funded in an adequate and equitable way will only improve outcomes for Illinois children," Purvis said. "I'm honored to chair this commission and join legislators who are equally as motivated to find a solution to make our school-funding formula more equitable."

State Sen. Andy Manar (D-Dist. 48) concurred that funding requires an updated formula to work properly.

"Together, Democrats and Republicans need to move quickly to come to consensus and recognize a better way and make our state a national example of how school funding should be done," Manar said.