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Governor Says Education Funding Reform is Needed
After a week that saw hundreds of students in Chicago boycott the first days of the school year in order to protest inadequate funding, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says he's sympathetic with the cause, but says it's state lawmakers, not him, that need to address the issue.

"Those are things the lawmakers have to change," Blagojevich said. "I do as much as I can without the legislature and I get widely criticized for that; but I can't re-write the school funding formula, the legislature has to do that and I'm with [State Sen. James Meeks]. We should work to get the legislature to do it."

State Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago) organized the boycott which included staging school students at downtown Chicago businesses. After two days Meeks called off the boycott in hopes of talking with the governor about the situation.

A spokesman with the governor's office says Blagojevich would be willing to meet when all legislative leaders were available.

Illinois is 49th in the nation when it comes to state dollars applied to education. That does not include property taxes collected for education within school districts. Meeks has argued that reform is a must to help schools in Chicago and Downstate.

(Source: Illinois Radio Network)
09 05 08 by Newsroom
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