Rally for Senate Bill 1 Held in Vandalia

Those on hand Tuesday night at an education funding rally in Vandalia charge that schools in Effingham, Teutopolis, St. Elmo, Vandalia, Ramsey and Shelbyville would receive less state funding than they do now due to Gov. Bruce Rauner's amendatory vetoes to Senate Bill 1.

The senate measure is designed to revamp the school funding formula in Illinois.

One of the amendatory veto changes proposed by the governor would affect school districts where Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, districts are located. Increases in property tax value in a TIF district are captured for improvements in the TIF district, rather than going into the general fund revenues. That value retained in the TIF district has not counted against a taxing body within the district.

The governor says the guidelines allow school districts to hide wealth, which increases their state aid payments.

The net effect of all of this is that school districts still wouldn't get the property tax value they're due without TIF, nor would they get the state aid amount they have until now.

The governor was scheduled to release an anlysis of his veto on Monday, but the Illinois State Board of Education at midday Tuesday said a "significant error" involving TIF data from the Illinois Department of Revenue preventing the Board of Ed from making the release.

Among Tuesday's speakers was St. Sen. Andy Manar of Bunker Hill, who is the chief Senate sponsor of Senate Bill 1.