The lawmaker responsible for the school funding plan endorsed by the Senate over Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto said Sunday that the House should vote to override too.
State Sen. Andy Manar, a Democrat from Bunker Hill, told reporters that a negotiated compromise on the “evidence-based” funding model is still possible. But if there's no deal, the House should override when it convenes Wednesday.
The Senate override vote was 38-19. Republican senators Bill Brady and Jason Barickman from Bloomington and Chapin Rose from Mahomet voted against the override.
Brady, the Republican Senate minority leader, spoke out against the override before the vote. He said Senate Bill 1 falls short of the parity that lawmakers intended.
“If we’re going to focus on an evidence-based model that treats every student fairly, takes into consideration their wealth and other things, then why should Chicago students get a special block grant?” Brady said. “It gives an advantage to the Chicago students at the cost of students throughout the rest of the state.”
Sunday’s vote upheld the overhaul which ensures no school district gets less money than last year and then pumps new dollars to the neediest districts first. Rauner calls it a “bailout” for mismanaged Chicago schools and made significant changes.
Manar said Republican Rauner's veto was not driven by policy concerns but by politics. But both Rauner and he say they're willing to compromise.
Barickman is one of four Republican negotiators appointed to work on a compromise solution.
“A negotiated, compromise bill is the only way forward,” said Barickman. “My goal remains the same as it has always been, to put together a bipartisan school funding reform bill that can be signed into law; a bill that fairly funds all schools.”
Illinois Senate President John Cullerton says Sunday's veto override “moved our state one step closer to getting rid of the worst funding system in the nation.”
The House will be in session Wednesday. Override prospects are less certain there.
