SPRINGFIELD – This week, Governor Rauner released an education funding proposal that, according to critics, does not go far enough in helping Illinois students across the state. Even though the governor’s plan fully funds education at the current foundation level, it still leaves 35 percent of districts as financial “losers” for the upcoming fiscal year. In response, state Senator Dave Koehler (D – Peoria) released the following statement.

“The governor’s education funding proposal fully funds the current foundational level, and it also fully embraces an unfair education system that abandons the very students that need the most financial help.

“Wealthier, growing schools stand to gain money from the governor’s proposal, while poorer, shrinking schools throughout the Peoria area would see stark decreases in funding in the hundreds of thousands of dollars when they can ill afford it.

“Providing a little more funding for some schools, while completely disregarding the disparity in property tax revenue for the poorest districts, is a travesty and must be reformed immediately. This is why Sen. Manar’s need-based education reform plan that would dole out more state money to the districts with lower-income families is so crucial. The well-being of every student, every school and every district must be taken into account, or as a state, we all suffer.”

Sen. Manar has been working on education reform and has yet to receive any numbers on the effect of his reform after repeated inquires to the Illinois State Board of Education.

SPRINGFIELD – Each year, students at Pekin Community High School participate in a building trade program, where students learn construction skills and build a home, after which, the school district sells the new home and uses the revenue to fund the program the next year.

Legislation sponsored by State Senator Dave Koehler (D – Peoria) that just passed in the Senate will make the selling process much easier for the district by allowing it to use a real estate agent without first going through an auction or bid process.

“This program is a great example of self-sustainability and goes a long way in showing students the value of hard work in an important trade,” Sen. Koehler said. “By making it easier for the district to sell the homes its students build, we show support for a valuable program that engages and builds up the community in a financially independent way.”

Under current law, building trade houses must be sold the same way as other state-owned real estate is sold – a sometimes convoluted process that leaves Pekin Community High School District 303 jumping through time-consuming hoops.

The district’s ability to engage a real estate agent is contingent upon the property being publicly listed for at least two weeks.

The legislation, Senate Bill 2823, now goes to the House of Representatives.

SPRINGFIELD – Students and workers rely on public transportation every day. Senator Dave Koehler (D - Peoria) and his colleagues voted to make sure these people can get to and from work, class and wherever else they need to go.

After months of tension surrounding the issue of Amtrak funding, Governor Rauner entered into a contract to keep AMTRAK operations running across Illinois. This legislation gives him the spending authority to honor this contract.

“I hope that the governor will agree to keep the state moving forward,” said Sen. Koehler. “Many students and workers across the district rely on Amtrak to live their daily lives. This legislation is a crucial step in ensuring this transportation option for years to come.”

The legislation, SB 2059, also contains funding for higher education, as well as social service agencies that have contracts with the state but weren’t covered by continuing appropriations or court orders. Now, the governor will have the power to honor these agreed upon contracts as well.

The legislation is the Senate’s latest effort to pass funds for budget items not yet dealt with during the budget impasse. The legislation is similar to House budget legislation passed earlier this month (HB 2990), but with spending authority for Amtrak and other critical services added.

The legislation now goes to the House of Representative for further action.

Today, Senator Koehler met with a wonderful group of young scholars from Bradley University to discuss the crucial issue of MAP grants in Illinois, and how we are going to protect the futures of our students.