SPRINGFIELD, IL - State Sen. Michael Noland (D-Elgin) rallied the State Senate to override Governor Quinn’s veto of Senate Bill 2499. If the House follows suit, Elgin U-46 will be eligible to receive millions of dollars more from the State next year.

Because U-46 encompasses portions of both Cook and Kane Counties, it loses millions of dollars in General State Aid every year. Kane County uses actual property value assessments when it applies to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) for funding. Cook County uses estimates, and in this case the combination of estimates and actual property value assessments costs the district vast amounts of more than $7 million last year alone.

Noland’s legislation, Senate Bill 2499, requires ISBE to use property tax values from the county that will most benefit the school district for districts that encompass multiple counties (the county with the most equalized assessed valuation). In this case, ISBE would use Cook County’s data.

"U-46 is desperately in need of more funding. If the House votes to overturn the governor’s veto, it will get approximately $22 million in additional funding from the State," Noland said. "Restoring this funding will help prevent further teacher layoffs and protect the quality of our children’s education."

Noland is a tireless advocate of education funding reform. He wants to establish a funding system that ensures that all students get a quality education and every school district gets its fair share of education money. He also is a strong advocate of property tax relief and believes the state should shoulder a higher proportion of school funding, allowing local governments to lower property taxes that are used to fund education.