After District 204 and other suburban districts dodged the negative fiscal implications of Senate Bill 16, the School Funding Reform Act of 2015, also known as Senate Bill 1, has been submitted and discussed over the last couple months. Senate Bill 16 proposed a $10.1 million reduction of funding to District 204 while Senate Bill 1 could now potentially cause the district to lose $5.8 million.

In both cases, District 204 stands to lose state funding, an idea faculty members, students, and district officials oppose. Along with District 204, many other districts, like District 203, will be negatively affected by Senate Bill 1. “Senate Bill 1 would put District 203’s high academic achievement, quality staff, and excellent programs at risk,” District 203 superintendent Dan Bridges said.

Likewise, District 204 believes the bill itself, proposed by Senator Andy Manar, “falls short” in terms of how to adequately redistribute funding in Illinois equally. Both District 204 and District 203, along with many suburban districts and residents, believe that the biggest problem lies in the so-called adequacy grants, which would provide extra funding to affected schools.

The grants themselves would need separate legislation and voting procedures and are not part of Senate Bill 1, something both District 204 Superintendent Karen Sullivan and District 203 Superintendent Dan Bridges fear legislators can be easily swayed to cut money when it is unnecessary, potentially leaving District 204 and 203 short funds and without proper aid.

Many educational forums and meetings have taken place across Illinois with over 400 superintendents attending along with concerned parents and educators. Although productive, students believe that the crux of the Illinois’ educational system is that it is broken and contains many loopholes.

It is clear: Senate Bill 1 is a microcosm of Illinois’ disastrous educational system. Financial power must be taken away from politicians and special interest groups and placed in the hands of families, superintendents, and educators. As long as politicians and special interest groups direct the system, the system won’t be accountable but more about the dollars and who controls them.

The only real solution seems to be that Illinois must transition into a new educational system. As daunting as it may seem, alternatives already exist and have been proven effective throughout the country, including in neighboring states like Wisconsin and Indiana.

According to Illinois policy analyst John Klinger, placing power in the hands of families and superintendents would eliminate corruption, increase transparency, and empower families to hold schools accountable. “It’s time for parents to control the flow and distribution of money in education. Only then will the struggle be about what really matters – how to educate Illinois children,” Klinger said.

By Nirmal Mulaikal