Chapter 14: Illinois

Article X, Section 1 of The Constitution of the State of Illinois,¹ as amended in 1970, sets forth the primary goals for the funding of public education. It simply states:

Four key elements to Article X are:

While simple in concept, achieving these key elements has long been elusive for Illinois. Legal attempts to challenge the state’s funding system for public education have been unsuccessful due to the opening phrase, “A fundamental goal …” Since a goal is something to be reached in the future, courts have not embraced a suit in equity that would order the legislature to accomplish its goal. Therefore, state spending on education in Illinois provided only 35.6% of all funds for public schools in Fiscal Year 2017, thereby hindering the ability to achieve equitable or adequate educational opportunities for all children (see Table 14.1).²