Kankakee Times

Sen. Jason Barickman says he was not going to let perfection get in the way of getting things done with respect to the legislation on school funding.

In an Aug. 29 article on evidence-based funding in Illinois, Barickman spoke of the necessity of passing legislation on school funding.

“It was a politically practical, pragmatic decision," Barickman said. "I was very focused on getting something done. And it was very apparent to me that we weren't going to get something done without a hold-harmless. So while I think a hold-harmless has policy challenges, we weren't going to let perfection get in the way of getting something done."

The Illinois State Board of Education explains evidence-based funding (EBF) this way: "EBF sends more resources to Illinois’ most under-resourced students. EBF takes the necessary first steps toward ensuring all schools have the resources they need to provide a safe, rigorous, and well-rounded learning environment for all students. EBF demonstrates new mindsets for understanding the relationship between equity, adequacy, and student outcomes."

In October 2021, Illinois Newsroom looked at evidence-based funding and asked how the 2017 bill had affected school districts across the state. They noted: "When the funding model started, Illinois had over 150 school districts below 60% of their adequacy target. Today, there are just 16. Most Illinois students go to a school, like DeKalb, that’s between 60-70%."

For 2021, Advance Illinois mapped out the data of student attendance compared to funding equity and created a dashboard where interested individuals could learn more. Find that here: https://www.advanceillinois.org/evidence-based-funding-formula-equity-dashboard-2021