School Officials Hold Town Hall Meeting To Explain Need For School Funding Reform.

In just over five weeks, the 100th Illinois General Assembly is scheduled adjourn and many educators are hoping that  House Bill 2808 will become passed.  The bill  seeks to change the state's 20 year old funding system for public schools.  Currently, local property taxes fund school districts.  Which means that wealthier districts can spend more money per student than less wealthy districts.  House Bill 2808 seeks to drastically alter the funding model by incorporating a new Evidence Based Model which looks at each individual school district's particular  needs to determine how much state money is needed for an adequate education.  Today  (Wednesday) in a classroom at Crab Orchard High School,  local superintendents and teachers conducted a town hall meeting to give the public a close look at this proposed new funding method for schools; a method which proponents say will close the often huge gap between wealthy school districts and poor ones.  Dr. Steve Webb, the Superintendent of Goreville School District said the current system has been broken for decades and it needs to be fixed.  He added that school kids in southern Illinois deserve the same educational opportunities as those in wealthy Chicago Suburbs.   The bill featuring this  Evidence Based Funding model is supported by both democrats and republicans in the House.