Editorial: A precious breakthrough on school funding reform
Until the final details are released, we're in no position yet to give our blessing, but after months of bitter Springfield intrigue, Thursday's late word of a compromise on school funding reform is encouraging to say the least.
There is a tendency by many of our colleagues and other pundits to view the agreement by its political implications - What's it mean for Gov. Bruce Rauner's re-election hopes after a rough and tumble summer? Does it enhance the standing of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel or of the Chicago Teachers Union? Do the four legislative leaders personally win or lose?
Not that we don't enjoy speculating on political ramifications as much as anyone, but to be distracted by all that right now is not only a concession to cynicism, it also misses something of so much greater:
In the midst of the brinkmanship that led up to Thursday's agreement, Illinois' four legislative leaders and, presumably, the governor, recognized the precious opportunity they had for a groundbreaking achievement in school funding reform that few could have imagined just a year or two ago.
Political realities surely played a role. There were orchestrated pressures on all sides. And as Gov. Bruce Rauner acknowledged on Friday, it was a compromise, so he didn't end up with exactly what he wanted, and we suspect Democrats didn't either.
In the end, it appears, no one wanted to be on the hook for the devastation that a failure to settle would have wrought for many of the state's school systems. True enough, but there's also a more hopeful explanation for the compromise.
As it happened, the brinkmanship had obscured the stunning fact that, fundamentally, all sides - Republicans and Democrats; educators and taxpayers from suburbs, city and downstate, the governor and the legislative leaders - had already concluded that resources ought to be distributed more equitably to school systems throughout the state, that students everywhere should have the same opportunities for educational success.
This notion, finally acted upon, was a breathtaking breakthrough of monumental proportions.
It is a reform that can positively improve countless lives for generations to come.
That's what truly was at stake in the negotiations. The reform is a signature achievement that promises to enhance the legacies of every officeholder who became a part of it.
As always, the devil is in the details, but if the details work out, this compromise will be worth celebrating.
The celebration will have little to do with the politics of it, of who stands to get credit or blame.
The celebration will be for the lives affected, for the chance to extend educational opportunity to students throughout Illinois.