Illinois school funding bill tweaked to cap cuts

SPRINGFIELD - A state senator is again revising a proposal to change the state's school funding formula in hopes of gaining more bipartisan support.

Andy Manar is a Democrat from Bunker Hill. His proposal would require state school districts to demonstrate need before receiving money. That would reduce the amount of state aid that wealthier, suburban districts receive.

The current method has been in place since 1997. It factors in a district's poverty for some types of state aid but not others.

Manar's most recent amendment would cap the loss of state funds under the new formula at $1,000 per student. It passed out of committee Thursday morning by a 9-3 vote.

Manar says the amendment acknowledges "severe challenges for an equitable way to distribute funding."