State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) released the statement below urging Gov. Rauner to support Senate Bill 1.

“There is a lot of rhetoric being spread about the school funding reform measure that will soon reach the governor’s desk, but my support for it is simple: it will bring $5 million to Rockford schools.   

Our education funding system in Illinois is broken. This plan is the result of years of negotiations and work. Don’t’ be fooled by comments that it is a ‘Chicago bailout.’ This evidence-based formula will provide millions in funding to the state’s neediest districts, like Rockford Public Schools, and like the 268 districts that will receive more funding than Chicago Public Schools.

The only reason this legislation is not already on the governor’s desk is because he has threatened to veto it before even getting a chance to read it. Let’s hope these weeks of discussion have allowed cooler heads to prevail. This is a win for Rockford. I would urge the governor to support this much-needed reform.”