Illinois Ranks Near Bottom in Fair Distribution of Education Funds New National Study Finds
National report card on school funding fairness finds Illinois one of four states ranking poorly on all measures
CHICAGO, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A national report card on education funding released today gives Illinois an "F" in an evaluation of the fairness of its funding distribution between low- and high-poverty school districts. The report ranksIllinois third from last on this measure with updated data showing that the state has now slipped even lower to second from last in funding distribution fairness. Illinois also scored low marks on the study's other measures.
"Is School Funding Fair? A National Report Card," a national study conducted by Rutgers University researchers and the Education Law Center in Newark, N.J., ranks states and the District of Columbia on how fairly they fund public schools based on four interrelated "fairness indicators"—funding level, funding distribution, state fiscal effort and public school coverage.
The study reports these findings for Illinois:
- Illinois received a grade "F" in funding fairness, one of only three states to receive this failing grade. The most recent data indicate that Illinois now has the second highest disparity of funding between high-poverty and low-poverty schools