Noland now says he'll back U-46 fix

A day before business is set to resume at the state capitol, state Sen. Michael Noland said he will pursue a funding fix for Elgin schools during the veto session.

The fix addresses an issue stemming from Elgin Area School District U-46's tri-county location, an issue district officials believe is costing the district millions in state funding each year.

Noland, who introduced the legislation that would pump an estimated $22 million into Elgin schools, strongly suggested on Friday he may not pursue the bill in veto session if U-46 did not back a “tax swap” measure that has languished in the state House for more than a year.

“What I would like from the school board is a letter of support for (House Bill 174, the “tax swap” bill), which is what is necessary to fund (Senate Bill 2499, the U-46 funding fix),” Noland said Friday. “Unless they're going to help me help them, I think that this would be a futile effort.”

The tax swap would hike the state income tax in exchange for property tax relief, a measure that supporters say would generate an additional $7 billion in revenue while reducing property tax bills by about $1 billion.

U-46 officials said Friday that linking the two bills was unfair because one was a dramatic change in state tax law while the other was narrowly targeted toward a specific constituent, U-46.

Noland controls the fate of the funding fix because he introduced the measure in the Senate in late 2009.

On Monday, Noland said that while he would still like U-46 to write that letter, his support of the U-46 funding fix did not depend on it.

“While I'm doubtful this is going to pass, I will fight for this and do everything I possibly can,” Noland said. “It's a long shot.”

The U-46 fix passed by a 40-15 margin in the state Senate and received only one “no” vote in the House before Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed the bill in July.

But Noland believes the climate in Springfield is now less favorable for the measure because lawmakers understand that it will mean a smaller share of state education dollars for their districts.

Still, U-46 leaders are hoping that the argument that persuaded lawmakers to back the measure earlier this year fairness in allocating state resources will do the same trick this month.

“It is our hope that members of the Illinois Senate will continue to realize that this inequality exists,” U-46 board President Ken Kaczynski said Monday.