The Illinois Board of Education is asking for a $730 million increase in its budget next year.
The state superintendent of schools is well aware of the state's financial strain.
Christopher Koch has been in charge as the state has failed to come through with all the money it's supposed to give to meet local district's basic needs. But, Koch says, "education is the smartest investment we can make in the economic future of our state."
Koch and state board of education members are asking lawmakers to fully fund that minimum level of per pupil spending, known as General State Aid. That'd cost the state an extra $556 million. And it would still mean Illinois is spending far less than the nearly $9,000 a student recommended by an advisory panel.
The board also wants more money for early childhood education, including for a programs to help kids with special needs and poor children ineligible for a federal subsidy. It's asking for money to help meet increasing bilingual education needs and to help cover costs associated with the new "PARCC" standardized testing.
Gov. Bruce Rauner promised to invest more in schools. But he's given no insight into how he'll do that, especially given that Illinois is taking in less money because the income tax rolled back at the start of the New Year.
