©2011 Galesburg Broadcasting Co.
| Groups: Education Funding Problems Violate Civil Rights |
A dozen families and two other Urban Leagues have joined the Chicago Urban League in a lawsuit that claims the state's lack of education funding violates civil rights laws.
Cheryle Jackson, president of the Chicago Urban League, said dozens of Latino community groups have also joined the suit.
The lawsuit, filed against the State of Illinois and the Illinois State Board of Education, seeks a court order declaring the current system of funding education in Illinois is unconstitutional and a violation of the Illinois Civil Rights Act of 2003.
Laraine Bryson, president of the Tri-County Urban League of Peoria, says her group joined the suit because of a lack of adequate funding. "The children across the state are entitled to a quality education that focuses on excellence," Bryson said. "Adequate funding that is equitable across all districts is required to make this a reality for all children regardless of race."
The Tri-County Urban League represents Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties.
In the past months a handful of lawmakers and state officials have talked about changing the current funding system, including State Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago) and Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. Both believe using property taxes to fund education hurts those who live in poorer communities. Quinn and Meeks both back a plan to fund education with income tax.
Illinois is 49th in the nation when it comes to state funds supporting education, with the bulk of education funding coming from local sources.
(Source: Illinois Radio Network) |
|
| 10 17 08 by Newsroom |
Click here for the WGIL News Archive
Click here for national news
The following provision applies to all visitors (which shall include persons and representatives of legal entities, whether such representatives are persons or digital engines of a kind that crawls, indexes, scrapes, copies, stores or transmits digital content). By accessing this Web site or digital service, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium; (ii) No Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use; (iii) The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing; (iv) The Associated Press is an intended third party beneficiary of these terms and conditions and it may exercise all rights and remedies available to it; and (v) The Associated Press reserves the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of AP materials or any portion thereof at any time.
