Illinois school funding for dummies

Ever wonder what's inside the school-funding law passed by the Illinois legislature last summer? Budget guru Ralph Martire has you covered.

Martire, executive director of the Center for Budget and Tax Accountability in Chicago, cut apart and boiled down the complex funding legislation in a speech at Sullivan High School on February 27.

Martire explained how the law, based on a so-called evidence-based model, ramps up funding to the neediest school districts without cutting funds to any of them.

The presentation was part of a panel called "Better Funding, Stronger Schools." The panel was hosted by a North-Side citizen group called Network 49, and by the education-reform organization Illinois Raise Your Hand.

Links to video and audio recordings (25.2 minutes) of Martire's speech follow.

Standard audio:

Youtube video: