Funding isn't issue; performance is

State Sen. James Meeks and the Urban League point to New Trier spending and academic excellence as proof of discrimination in school funding.

Newsworthy, but let's look farther than just New Trier.

According to the Illinois Board of Education, The Chicago Public Schools spent $10,409 per student, graduating 66 percent. State average spending was $9,488, graduating 86 percent.

CPS spent more while achieving much less.

Meeks and the Urban League also blames the state. According to the latest report of the U.S. Department of Education, average per-student spending across all states was $9,154.

Twenty-one states spent more per student than Illinois, 28 spent less.

CPS spent $9,758 that year, more than the national and Illinois averages. Indiana spent $8,929. Iowa spent $8,355. Kentucky spent $7,668. Michigan spent $9,577. Missouri spent $8,273. Wisconsin spent $9,993.

Wisconsin spent a little more. CPS spent more than every other neighbor state.

CPS chose not to raise their local real estate taxes. Illinois is already in a financial crisis so more funding for CPS translates to higher state taxes.

Meeks and the Urban League want all of us to further subsidize poor CPS performance.

If facts matter, their unfounded charges of racism and too little spending per student only cloud and slow the search for increased CPS student performance.

Dan Bushell

Naperville