Post by title1parent on Aug 21, 2008 6:04:12 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/1119272,2_1_AU21_URBANSUIT_S1.article
Urban League sues state over school funding inequity
• Lawsuit claims: Minority students get 'left behind' in current financial system
August 21, 2008
By Dan Campana dcampana@scn1.com
A flawed state funding scheme for education has left the East Aurora School District underfunded and students lagging academically, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.
The Quad County Urban League and Chicago Urban League are suing the state and the Illinois State Board of Education, claiming that using property taxes to support education is unconstitutional and violates the 2003 Illinois Civil Rights Act.
Minority and low-income students around Illinois -- including East Aurora, where blacks and Hispanics comprise 91 percent of students and 68 percent have "low property wealth" -- aren't getting a quality education because of financial woes, according to the lawsuit filed in Cook County.
Quad County Urban League President Theodia Gillespie said the Aurora-based organization got involved in the suit because of Aurora's demographics.
"This issue impacts many communities, many segments of the population," she said. "There's not enough resources available."
The 40-page lawsuit calls for a change to the funding mechanism currently used, a system Gillespie said is not working, especially on the city's East Side. That's because areas with higher home values have districts that reap the benefits through property taxes, she said.
Cheryle Jackson, president of the Chicago Urban League, said in a statement, "Our children, especially African-Americans and Latinos, have been left behind because of poorly funded schools, while their white counterparts in wealthy communities are thriving. Their basic right to a quality education is being denied."
The suit calls for changes to make funding more equitable. Some lawmakers have suggested funding education through a tax swap, where income taxes rise and property taxes go down. But Gov. Rod Blagojevich has said he will not support tax increases.
STate Board of Education spokesman Matt Vanover declined to comment, saying he hasn't seen the lawsuit. A spokesman for the Illinois Attorney General's Office said the lawsuit will be reviewed.
Asked about the timing, with the school year beginning around the area and one lawmaker proposing Chicago Public School students try to enroll in wealthier suburban districts, Gillespie said it all ties in with the dire situation in the second-worst state for education funding.
"We need to do something quick. As the economy is falling, as the housing market is falling, our schools are falling," she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Urban League sues state over school funding inequity
• Lawsuit claims: Minority students get 'left behind' in current financial system
August 21, 2008
By Dan Campana dcampana@scn1.com
A flawed state funding scheme for education has left the East Aurora School District underfunded and students lagging academically, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.
The Quad County Urban League and Chicago Urban League are suing the state and the Illinois State Board of Education, claiming that using property taxes to support education is unconstitutional and violates the 2003 Illinois Civil Rights Act.
Minority and low-income students around Illinois -- including East Aurora, where blacks and Hispanics comprise 91 percent of students and 68 percent have "low property wealth" -- aren't getting a quality education because of financial woes, according to the lawsuit filed in Cook County.
Quad County Urban League President Theodia Gillespie said the Aurora-based organization got involved in the suit because of Aurora's demographics.
"This issue impacts many communities, many segments of the population," she said. "There's not enough resources available."
The 40-page lawsuit calls for a change to the funding mechanism currently used, a system Gillespie said is not working, especially on the city's East Side. That's because areas with higher home values have districts that reap the benefits through property taxes, she said.
Cheryle Jackson, president of the Chicago Urban League, said in a statement, "Our children, especially African-Americans and Latinos, have been left behind because of poorly funded schools, while their white counterparts in wealthy communities are thriving. Their basic right to a quality education is being denied."
The suit calls for changes to make funding more equitable. Some lawmakers have suggested funding education through a tax swap, where income taxes rise and property taxes go down. But Gov. Rod Blagojevich has said he will not support tax increases.
STate Board of Education spokesman Matt Vanover declined to comment, saying he hasn't seen the lawsuit. A spokesman for the Illinois Attorney General's Office said the lawsuit will be reviewed.
Asked about the timing, with the school year beginning around the area and one lawmaker proposing Chicago Public School students try to enroll in wealthier suburban districts, Gillespie said it all ties in with the dire situation in the second-worst state for education funding.
"We need to do something quick. As the economy is falling, as the housing market is falling, our schools are falling," she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.