The document summarizes funding for education in Illinois. It notes that Illinois relies more heavily on local property taxes than other states, with local sources accounting for over 60% of district revenues on average compared to just 25% nationally. It also discusses inequities in the system, with wide variations in per-pupil spending between districts and less funding going to districts serving low-income students and students of color. The document concludes that Illinois has some of the largest funding gaps in the country and that an equitable and adequate funding system that prioritizes education is needed to improve outcomes for all students.

1. Funding Education in Illinois
Chicago Town Hall Meeting
Senator Steans, Representative Cassidy & Alderman Osterman
March 30, 2016
State Senator Andy Manar
Savage Inequalities, Jonathan Kozol, 1991
1

2. Percentoftotalfunding
LocalStateFederal
1. Includes special education. Note: Categoricals include some competitive grants. Additional competitive grants represent very small portion of total spend.
2. Illinois distributes an additional $3.5 billion in federal funds to support state and local education. (source: Illinois State Board of Education Budget Book).
3. Source: Illinois State Board of Education; ILearn website, APA report to EFAC
63% 63% 65%
44%
31% 29% 25%
43%
6% 8% 10% 13%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
1997-2001 IL
Average
2003-07 IL
Average
2009-13 IL
Average
2010 US
Average
Illinois’s districts rely more heavily on local property
taxes than other states
ARTICLE X
ILLINOIS CONSTITUTION
SECTION 1. GOAL - FREE
SCHOOLS. A fundamental goal
of the People of the State is
the educational development
of all persons to the limits of
their capacities. The State
shall provide for an efficient
system of high quality public
educational institutions and
services. Education in public
schools through the
secondary level shall be free.
There may be such other free
education as the General
Assembly provides by law.
The State has the primary
responsibility for financing
the system of public
education. (Source: Illinois
Constitution.)
What we get for $12 billion
Property Tax Bill
38%
62%
District Revenues by Source:
State vs. Local
State Sources Local Sources
Source: Ed Trust
2

3. Many districts in Illinois couldn’t
tax themselves into equity—
even if they wanted to
What we get for $12 billion
Per Pupil Spending (PPS) varies
in Illinois greatly:
Highest Spending District:
Rondount Dist. 72 = $30,628
Lowest Spending District:
Germantown Dist. 60 = $6,037
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4. Only 44% of State education
spending is distributed using
some measurement of need.
The lottery provides
approximately 6% of the
State funds budgeted each
year for schools—an
important 6%
What we get for $12 billion
4

5. We own the most regressive funding system in the country.
-25%
-20%
-15%
-10%
-5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
OH MN SD DE TN IN KY CA MA LA NJ GA OK UT WI OR WV MS WA CT AR FL NM ND VT SC KS CO VA AZ AL NH NE ME WY RI ID MO MT IA NC MI MD TX PA NY IL
Funding gaps between the highest and lowest poverty districts by state
Reading this figure: In Ohio, the highest poverty districts receive 22 percent more in state and local funds per student than the lowest poverty districts (not adjusted for additional needs of low-income students). In states shaded in green,
the highest poverty districts receive at least 5 percent more in state and local funds per student than the lowest poverty districts; in states shaded in red, they receive at least 5 percent less.
Grey shading indicates similar levels of funding for the highest and lowest poverty districts.
Note: Hawaii was excluded from the within-state analysis because it is one district. Alaska and Nevada are also excluded because their student populations are heavily concentrated in certain districts and could not be broken into quartiles. Because so many of New
York’s students are concentrated in New York City, we sorted that state into two halves, as opposed to four quartiles.
Spending money inequitably fails to improve state performance, meaning
all students lose.
What we get for $12 billion
5

6. How Illinois fits its desired
budget into its actual budget
that lacks adequate
resources
What we get for $12 billion
6

7. We own some of the largest income-achievement gaps
in the country
Source: NAEP 2013.
52% 52%
16%
18%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
4th Grade Reading 8th Grade Math
Percentatoraboveproficient
Non-Low-Income Low-Income
National Gap Rank:
47th
National Gap Rank:
48th
36
percent
age
point
gap
34
percent
age
point
gap
Low-income achievement gap: students at or above proficient, 2013 NAEP.
What we get for $12 billion
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8. Average state and local revenues per student
by enrollment of students of color
$10,842
$12,631
$13,481
$12,882
$-
$2,000
$4,000
$6,000
$8,000
$10,000
$12,000
$14,000
$16,000
Districts Serving the
Most Students of
Color
Quartile 2 Quartile 3 Districts Serving the
Fewest Students of
Color
Districts serving the most
students of color in Illinois
receive roughly $2,000, or 16%,
less in state and local funding
per student than districts serving
the fewest
What we get for $12 billion
Illinois race-based achievement gaps, NAEP, 2013
Source: NAEP, 2013. Advance Illinois Analysis.
46
14
18
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
White Black LatinoPercentof4thgraders
4th Grade Reading
54
35
%
32
%
54
35
%
32
%
54
35
%
32
%
54
35
%
32
%
32
percentage
point gap
26
percentage
point gap
48
12
22
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
White Black Latino
Percentof4thgraders
8th Grade Math
35%
32%
35%
32%
36
percentage
point gap
26
percentage
point gap
We own some of the
worst race-based
achievement gaps in the
Nation.
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9. What we get for $12 billion
• Enrollment: 1,473
• 54.9% low income
• 19.5% students w/ disabilities
• Per Pupil Spending (all sources): $7,479
• Note: This represents -7.5% or $562 below adequacy and
-41% or $5,000 below the state avg. (est.)
• Total Annual State support: $5,700,000
To be spending at an adequate level based on North Mac’s
student need, total spending should increase by $562 per
student (+7.5%). Filling that gap totaling approximately
$800,000 would bring state support to $6,500,000.
9
North Mac School District #34

10. What we get for $12 billion
• Enrollment: 2,784
• 74% low income
• 18.5% English learners
• 8% students w/ disabilities
• Per Pupil Spending (all sources): $11,076
• Total Annual State support: $9,600,000
The East Moline School District can only afford to spend at a
level that is $1,445 less than the state average of $12,521 Per
Pupil. In addition, the district relies on state funding for 34% of
its revenue, 8% higher than the state average of 26%.
East Moline School District #37
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11. Conclusions
• In public education, funding isn’t the only thing that drives student
success; but funding certainly does matter.
• Adequacy vs. Equity: The quantity of funding isn’t the only answer to
fixing our problem; funding equity will help fix our problem as well. .
• Our system in inequitable for students and taxpayers alike.
• According to the Education Trust, Illinois has some of the largest funding
gaps in the country, both between the highest and lowest poverty
districts, and between districts serving the most and the fewest students
of color.
• Our State budget doesn’t prioritize education which drives up property
taxes. The Illinois budget contributes one of the smallest shares of
school district revenue in the nation. But there are other states that
contribute similar shares of district funds and have more equitable
funding patterns. How much money the state contributes matters, but
how it distributes those dollars matters, too.
• This is a fixable problem.
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12. • Funding Illinois Future Coalition
FundingILFuture.org
Twitter: @FundingILFuture
• State Senator Andy Manar’s Office
Twitter: @AndyManar
Facebook: Senator Andy Manar
• Illinois School Report Card
IllinoisReportCard.com
• Education Trust
EdTrust.org
Twitter: @EdTrust
Resources
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