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Dr. William Hinrichs - Public School Funding

Dr. Bill Hinrichs discusses his work at the Illinois State Board of Education dealing with Illinois public school finance. He explains the funding formulas put into effect in 1973 and later in 1999. He covers the questions of adequacy, equity, and the functioning of the 1973 and 1999 formulas and talks about the role of the Education Funding Advisory Board (EFAB) and its objective to properly fund public schools. He explains why the disparity grew between rich and poor school districts, the impact of pro-rated state aid, and the state's growing dependency on property taxes to provide the vast majority of school revenue. Hinrichs also reviews how the three types of Illinois school districts (Unit, High School, and Elementary) along with three methods of distribution add to the complex nature of Illinois school funding.