HR0771LRB098 18229 GRL 53360 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The goal of the State's education funding system
3is to afford all school districts the opportunity to provide a
4comparable, quality education; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Illinois' past and present financial conditions
6continue to have a detrimental effect on the students attending
7school districts not under the Property Tax Extension
8Limitation Law; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The primary task of the General State Aid formula,
10which appropriated $4.4 billion in Fiscal Year 2014, is to
11provide funding for all school districts by measuring the local
12property wealth of a district and providing State funds on an
13equalized basis; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Since the General State Aid formula was updated in
151999 to include an adjustment that accounts for perceived
16losses in local resources due to the Property Tax Extension
17Limitation Law, it has diverted limited resources from the
18General State Aid Foundation Level grants; and
 
19    WHEREAS, In 2000, 88% of the General State Aid formula was
20used for Foundation Level grants to equalize school district
21resources across the State; Property Tax Extension Limitation

 

 

HR0771- 2 -LRB098 18229 GRL 53360 r

1Law adjustments represented just 2% of the formula calculation;
2and
 
3    WHEREAS, In 2013, the Foundation Level grants dropped to
453% of the formula and Property Tax Extension Limitation Law
5adjustments now represent 13% of the formula; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In 2000, the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law
7adjustments required $46 million from funds available for
8General State Aid; in 2013, that amount escalated to $629
9million; and
 
10    WHEREAS, This represents an increase of over 1,300% in
11Property Tax Extension Limitation Law adjustment funding; if
12this trend continues, Foundation Level grants to equalize
13school district resources will soon represent less than half of
14the General State Aid formula; and
 
15    WHEREAS, General State Aid appropriations have declined
16over 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;
18and
 
19    WHEREAS, Fully funding General State Aid in Fiscal Year
202014 would have cost over $5 billion dollars, which represents
21a $600 million gap; and
 

 

 

HR0771- 3 -LRB098 18229 GRL 53360 r

1    WHEREAS, In the past 3 years, school districts have
2witnessed a proration of General State Aid funds because the
3General State Aid Foundation Level has not been statutorily
4adjusted to match the appropriation, causing teacher layoffs
5and termination of school programs, services, and activities;
6and
 
7    WHEREAS, The mathematical difference between the Property
8Tax Extension Limitation Law adjustment and the prorated amount
9of General State Aid is roughly the same; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Prorating General State Aid only widens the gap
11between the wealthiest districts and the poorest districts, due
12in large part to the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law
13adjustment; and
 
14    WHEREAS, An inference can be made that non-Property Tax
15Extension Limitation Law counties and their school districts
16are subsidizing Property Tax Extension Limitation Law counties
17and their school districts; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The General State Aid proration over the past 3
19years has made it difficult for school districts to meet State
20mandates; therefore, be it
 

 

 

HR0771- 4 -LRB098 18229 GRL 53360 r

1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3we urge the Governor and the members of the General Assembly to
4cease the proration of General State Aid allocations and to
5fully fund the formula to benefit school districts most in need
6of State support through the formula by prioritizing the
7Foundation Level grant; and be it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That we pledge to work with all stakeholders to
9determine a State aid formula that equalizes funding for school
10districts, utilizing local and State funds, to ensure that all
11school districts have similar resources to educate students.