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Will Davis - Public School Funding

Rep. Will Davis discussed the path to a new educational funding formula for Illinois public schools during his tenure as a state representative, which began in 2003. He addressed the challenges faced in school funding reform, including pension shortfalls, school funding litigation and unsuccessful legislative efforts to make major overhauls of the system. In 2012, a greater statewide awareness of school funding problems became evident, which translated into more support for reform. Rep. Davis reviewed the Governor’s Commission 2016, Senate Bill 1 introduced in 2016 and the eventual passage of SB 1947 which led to the New Evidence Based School Funding Model. Rep. Davis also discussed how this school funding model became the dominant one accepted by many across the state.