The Illinois Board of Education is set to vote on a $97 million plan to fund schools that are most in need.
The package would restore funding for 95 percent of the schools in 30 districts that saw state funding pulled last month as part of the legislature's $1.6 billion budget deal, which called for 2.25 percent across-the-board cuts and gave Rauner personal discretion to distribute $97 million to schools in need.
The state Board of Ed is also expected to consider a replacement for Illinois schools superintendent Christopher Koch, who saw his contract expire earlier this year, but has remained in his role at the board's request. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner recently told the Chicago Tribune that he has had a "new superintendent very specifically in mind" for some time. Rauner has appointed five of the nine people that sit on the state's Board of Ed, which will vote to bring on a new schools chief. The board is slated to consider a superintendent's contract and severance package at Wednesday's meeting.
UPDATE 1: The board unanimously voted to bring on Tony Smith as the new Illinois schools superintendent. He was rumored to be Rauner's top pick.
Illinois Federation of Teachers Dan Montgomery released the following statement about the decision:
Teacher morale is at an all-time low. Parents and students are suffering from a lack of adequate resources. We are eager to meet with the new superintendent to hear his ideas and discuss how we can work together to address these challenges and improve the lives of our students.