[Comments now open.]

* Press release…

Gov. Bruce Rauner’s plan to reform the school funding formula would send more money to the neediest school districts in Illinois, according to an analysis released today by the Illinois State Board of Education.

ISBE’s analysis found that 97.5 percent of the 852 school districts in Illinois receive more state funding under the governor’s plan compared to Senate Bill 1, as written. Under the governor’s plan, no school district would receive less funding this upcoming school year than it received last year.

“This is what equity and fairness in education funding looks like,” Gov. Rauner said. “Improving Illinois’ education system has been my top priority as governor. I made these changes to Senate Bill 1 because that legislation fails to ensure fairness and equity for all children across Illinois. My changes guarantee that some of our state’s neediest districts will receive significantly more funding.”

But, if you click here and open the spreadsheet, then click the “ISBE analysis” tab and scroll all the way to the bottom, you’ll see that Chicago Public Schools, with about 20 percent of the state’s students, would gain just $28.7 million over last fiscal year. That’s only about a 2 percent gain for CPS, but according to the governor’s spreadsheet, Rauner’s plan provides for a ten percent overall funding increase to all schools (column C compared to column D).

Even so, something doesn’t appear right. I need more time to compare Rauner’s original spreadsheet (click here) to his newest spreadsheet (click here). Feel free to e-mail me your own thoughts.

* And make extra sure to keep this in mind…

.@GovRauner has released analysis ($) of his AV. Keep in mind these numbers are for 2 yrs only. Everything changes in July, 2020.

— dusty rhodes 📻🎙🐝 (@dustyrhodes919) August 12, 2017

Yep, and when it does, things get much worse for CPS and lots of other schools.

…Adding… This is what I was referring to above about some confusing numbers…

Chicago Public Schools would receive $463 million less in funding under Gov. Bruce Rauner’s school funding plan than the measure approved by the Democrat-controlled Illinois General Assembly.

That’s according to an analysis released Saturday afternoon by the Illinois State Board of Education. The district-by-district breakdown was made public a day before the Illinois Senate will reconvene in Springfield to consider an override of Rauner’s amendatory veto of the school funding legislation.

The governor’s original spreadsheet claimed SB1 increases funding for CPS by $293 million. His plan would, he claimed at the time, increase CPS funding by $148 million. His new spreadsheet claims SB1 increases CPS funding by over $490 million, while his AV would increase it by $28 million.

Odd.

…Adding More… The full ISBE report is now online. Click here.

…Adding More… Tribune…

The data indicate CPS would receive $463 million less than under the Democrats’ bill, but Rauner’s office contends it’s only $241 million less because the governor supports picking up $221 million in pension costs for the district. That money has not been approved yet, however.

The governor’s office is trying to count that $221 million twice: Once for all schools and the second time for CPS pensions. Math is apparently quite difficult for the governor.