State Board of Education Seeks Billion Dollar Increase

Illinois’ State Board of Education is asking the General Assembly for a $1-billion increase in the new fiscal year.  This comes even as Illinois’ budget is already projected to be short by twice that amount.

Board Chairman Gery Chico said lawmakers have cut funding to elementary and high schools for the past five years, meaning they’re getting less than what education experts recommend.

Chico said it’s time to reverse that.

"If we're not successful, for every dollar that the legislature appropriates less than what we need, there will be proration based on what they give us," he said.

Illinois ranks last in the nation when it comes to the amount per student the state kicks in for public education.

It’s expected the board will officially sign off on its request when it meets again Thursday in Springfield. The total works out to roughly $61-hundred per student.