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Sen. Tom Rooney (R-Rolling Meadows) is asking the House to not make the same mistake the Senate did and instead vote against overriding Sen. Bruce Rauner's amendatory veto of the state's school funding bill.
“We’re supposed to be overhauling our education system to provide equity for all our students and schools,” Rooney said in a statement, according to Capitol Fox. “Instead, we’re recrafting a system that preserves the same practice of redirecting state dollars toward one district and burying special deals among the spreadsheets. That’s not equity, that’s disingenuous and ineffective.”
Rauner’s office contends that his amendatory veto would reduced the funding for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) included in Senate Bill 1 by $242 million, after a $221 million pension pickup is factored in. His changes to the bill are favored by Republicans who see the measure as disproportionately beneficial for CPS.
Sen. Tom Rooney (R-Rolling Meadows)
“Today’s vote demonstrated that the interest of one district outweighs the needs of the remaining suburban and downstate students,” Rooney said in his statement. “My only hope is that moving forward the House recognizes the importance of fair funding, puts the needs of all students ahead of political agendas and embraces equity as the only path forward for education funding in Illinois.”
The Senate voted on Sunday to override Rauner's veto, but the House has yet to schedule a vote.
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