Prairie State Wire

Some Illinois legislators are questioning the value of the recently passed public school funding measure, Senate Bill 1947, because of its generous benefits to Chicago and other school districts that are slated to receive targeted property tax relief.

Politicians went around and around on SB1, the state's original K-12 funding bill, only to see it vetoed by Gov. Bruce Rauner. The Senate then voted to override the veto. The House didn't muster enough votes to agree to override, but instead approved SB1947 on Monday. The Senate followed suit a day later.

Still, some representatives and others question whether SB1947 is really a good replacement for a funding equation that many admitted needed work.

One of the bill’s authors, Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill), contends that some Illinois small towns and relatively undeveloped districts will see benefits, but other legislators call the "compromise bill” discriminatory because some districts receive property tax assistance at the expense of others, they argue.

Here is a list of the school districts that researchers have identified as potential property tax savers under SB1947:

HONONEGAH COMM H S DIST 207

J S MORTON H S DISTRICT 201

PROVISO TWP H S DIST 209

SUMMIT SCHOOL DIST 104

NORTH PALOS SCHOOL DIST 117

WORTH SCHOOL DISTRICT 127

DOLTON SCHOOL DISTRICT 148

SOUTH HOLLAND SCHOOL DIST 151

LANSING SCHOOL DISTRICT 158

MATTESON ELEM SCHOOL DIST 162

THORNTON TWP H S DIST 205

BLOOM TWP HIGH SCH DIST 206

THORNTON FRACTIONAL T H S D 215

ARGO COMM H S DIST 217

COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL DIST 218

RICH TWP H S DISTRICT 227

BREMEN COMM H S DISTRICT 228

HOMEWOOD FLOSSMOOR C H S D 233

DEKALB COMM UNIT SCH DIST 428

MARQUARDT SCHOOL DISTRICT 15

QUEEN BEE SCHOOL DISTRICT 16

WEST CHICAGO SCHOOL DIST 33

PLANO COMM UNIT SCHOOL DIST 88

BEACH PARK C C SCHOOL DIST 3

WAUKEGAN C U SCHOOL DIST 60

ROUND LAKE AREA SCHS - DIST 116

GRANT COMM H S DISTRICT 124

ZION-BENTON TWP H S DIST 126

GRAYSLAKE COMM HIGH SCH DIST 127

COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL DIST 155

MCHENRY COMM H S DIST 156

JOLIET TWP HS DIST 204