DeKalb Times

As a chief co-sponsor of the recently passed education funding bill, Rep. Bob Pritchard (R-Hinckley) played a major role in the negotiations and pushed for its passage before the House vote on Aug. 28, according to a video posted on YouTube.

Certainly we can all agree that the current formula that we have, that has been created since 1997, doesn’t give us the kind of equity and adequacy that our children need to become successful in their career and in their lives," he told the chamber. "So we need to do something different."

Pritchard told his fellow representatives that the compromise bill will bring Illinois closer to where it needs to be in terms of the quality of education it provides students and the funding used to do so. 

Rep. Bob Pritchard (R-Hinckley) | http://www.ilga.gov/house/Rep.asp?MemberID=1492

“It’s moving us to provide the resources that students need; it’s moving to deal with the challenges that our school districts have; it allows the school districts the independence to decide what’s best for their communities; and it brings us to a better system that is more adequately funded," he said. "It provides for some choice in property tax relief; certainly it’s not as much as some would like; it’s more than others would like; it’s what you might call a compromise.”

Pritchard concluded by emphasizing the long-term positive impacts the bill will have. 

“I would just ask that we really look at how this is going to impact the resources and the education in our district, how it’s going to move us more towards adequacy and an equal opportunity that builds a more-educated workforce that will attract jobs, that will keep jobs in our state and that will help grow our economy," he said. "Because as has been mentioned already, we are heavily taxed in Illinois; it’s time to grow the economy, grow the revenues (in) this state without taking more from the residents than we have."

SB1947 passed with 73 "yes" votes.