Where Do Illinois School Districts Get Most of Their Education Funding?

School funding in Illinois could be in for a shake-up — the Illinois Senate recently passed a bill that would revamp the state’s school funding formula to provide more state funds for poorer school districts.

So why is school funding an issue? And where do Illinois schools get most of their money anyway? We’ll take a look below at some of the largest and smallest school districts in the state and where they receive their operating funds.

School funding has long been a hot topic because some argue the formula shortchanges school districts in low-income areas. While more affluent school districts can fund upward of 90 percent of their school budget with property taxes, poorer school districts are reliant on a greater proportion of state funding.

The senate bill’s chief sponsor, state Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, says his plan will take into account property values, percentage of low-income students and special education and bilingual education needs when allocating state aid.

Though Gov. Bruce Rauner believes the funding formula needs an update, he says he opposes Manar’s plan because it takes state funding away from some districts. Some Senate Republicans have called it a “bailout” for cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools because it would increase CPS’s state funding by $175 million.

So how does this school funding formula apply to real schools? Using 2015 data from the Illinois State Board of Education, we’ve compiled lists of the largest and smallest school districts across the state and where they get the largest percentages of their revenue, like property taxes, general state aid and federal funding.

You can see the complete list here.

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