SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) joined with other Illinois senators from outside the Chicago region today to support Senate Bill 231. The proposal will change the education funding formula to allocate more funding to school districts without access to vast local resources.

Under the legislation, Rockford Public Schools would receive an additional $10.2 million.

Earlier this month, Governor Rauner called on the General Assembly to fully fund the current education formula. Despite the increase in funding, under the curent formula, Rockford Public Schools would only see an increase of about $4.8 million, or less than half of what they will receive under Senate Bill 231.

“Rockford schools are a textbook example of the inherent fairness of the current funding system,” Stadelman said. “Communities with large numbers of low-income students need to invest in education the most, but they are the least equipped to do so.”

UPDATE: Stadelman is a co-sponsor of the legislation. It passed the Illinois Senate with a bipartisan vote of 31-21 following the press conference.