The editorial, “Making an issue of school finance” (Dec. 27), struck some accurate chords as to how our schools are funded in Illinois. The per-pupil amounts do show the severity of this problem when compared to the performance test results released in the Illinois State Board of Education’s annual report.
Your editorial stated there are “at least 84 other districts that are carrying debt loads that are higher on a per-student basis than Chicago’s.” According to Mike Klonsky of Catalyst magazine, there are 162 districts on the state’s financial “watch list.” School finance actually grows as a problem the further south in Illinois one goes.
Money is not the answer to everything. However, anyone who contends that money does not matter in school finance did not read the findings of the report, which demonstrates test performance and level of funding. The school districts with the highest test scores were in the North Shore suburbs and northwest suburbs of Cook County, along with the wealthiest areas of Du Page and Lake County.
The property wealth in these areas is very high, thus providing more monies per pupil in those school districts under the present system.
The disparities of per-pupil amounts and test scores in school districts located only miles apart are enormous. On no constitutional or fairness grounds can one argue that schoolchildren are receiving an “equitable and adequate education.” In the Chicago area alone the per-pupil amounts range from $3,700 to $9,800.
Simply put, under the present funding system, money is part of the problem. I urge all readers to write their legislators to help make money a part of the answer to education.
