State lawmakers’ education funding talks continue

Despite a standstill over the state budget, a group of bipartisan lawmakers has been meeting more often in recent weeks to devise a plan to overhaul funding for public schools. Although Illinois’ top leaders aren’t meeting to discuss the budget, members of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s education funding reform commission told the Springfield Bureau of Lee Enterprises newspapers they’re optimistic that the group will be able to come up with at least outlines of a new school funding formula. “We’ve made meaningful progress on an incredibly difficult issue,” said Republican state Sen. Jason Barickman. Rauner set a Feb. 1 deadline for the group to complete its work when he announced its formation in July. Barickman said that if reform is going to happen, the group, and ultimately the legislature, must come to a consensus on complex issues, such as property taxes and achieving parity among school districts. Click to read the rest of the Associated Press story….