Thank you for your interest in signing Sen.Althoff's #STOPSB16 petition. In order to make the petition more accessible, we have moved Sen. Althoff's petition to her website. To sign the petition, please copy and paste the following link into your browser to sign the petition on her website: http://senatoralthoff.com/Resources/SenateBill16Petition.aspx

We apologize for any inconvenience. We value your support, and encourage you to circulate this petition among friends and family. As a collective voice we can have the greatest impact!

Legislation has been introduced and is moving through the General Assembly that would dramatically change the way we fund public education in Illinois. As currently drafted, Senate Bill 16 will have a direct and negative impact on McHenry and Lake County schools by diverting millions in General State Aid for Education away from local school districts, to other districts in Illinois.

Senator Pamela Althoff (R-McHenry) argues education funding reform should be crafted in a bipartisan manner, where all stakeholders are brought to the table to negotiate a comprehensive, equitable school funding formula. Sen. Althoff does not believe Illinois’ system of funding schools should create “winners” or “losers,” but instead equitably finance public education in this state to give all Illinois school children the best opportunity for scholastic advancement and academic success.

If you agree, please add your name to the following petition, and contribute to this effort by sharing the petition with your friends, family and colleagues.

In addition to signing the petition, Sen. Althoff asks that you contact your state representative and state senator personally to express your misgivings about this measure and ask them to vote “No" on Senate Bill 16.

Senate Bill 16 is not the best we can do. Illinois lawmakers need to go back to the drawing board and engage in a meaningful, bipartisan discussion about how the state’s precious education resources should be allocated.

What is Senate Bill 16?

Last July, a committee of state legislators was charged with recommending ways to improve public education funding in Illinois, which has remained unchanged since 1997. Despite the bipartisan efforts of the committee, Democrat lawmakers unilaterally acted to draft SB 16, legislation that failed to incorporate many of the committee’s recommendations and which does not address the glaring inequities in how education is funded in Illinois.

If enacted into law, SB 16 will make sweeping changes in how the state funds education. Generally, school districts with higher assessed property values, like ours, will receive much less state funding. Other districts will receive much more in state funding.

SB 16 is a redistribution of current state resources that dramatically changes the way in which limited state funding is distributed among school districts

How will SB16 impact McHenry and Lake County?

As a whole, SB16 would phase out $18.4 million from all McHenry County school districts and $6.6 million from Lake County school districts located in the 32nd Senate District. Many school districts will face draconian cuts in state education funding. In McHenry County, seven districts will lose over 70% of current funding. Three Lake County school districts in the 32nd Senate District will lose more than 75% of funding.

This will result in cuts to arts and sciences, after-school and extra-curricular programs, and salary cuts or layoffs for teachers and faculty.

Suburban property taxpayers will be asked to once again dig in their pockets to supplant the lost state support.

What can you do?

SB16 has already passed the Senate. It is expected that the House will vote on SB16 this fall.

We need your help.

Please contact your Illinois Representative and Senators to voice your opinion.

The State Senators who serve McHenry and Lake Counties:

NO - Senator Pam Althoff, District 32, pamela@pamelaalthoff.net, (815) 987-7555

NO - Senator Karen McConnaughay, District 33, senator@karenmcconnaughay.com, (847) 214-8245

NO – Senator Dan Duffy, District 26, dan@senatorduffy.com, (847) 277-7100

NO – Senator Julie Morrison, District 29, (847) 945-5200

PRESENT – Senator Melinda Bush, District 31, (847) 548-5631
YES – Senator Terry Link, District 30, (847) 821-1811
YES - Senator Andy Manar (Bill Sponsor), District 48, (618) 635-2583
YES - Senator Michael Noland, District 22, (847) 214- 8864
YES - Senator Linda Holmes, District 42 holmes42@senatedem.illinois.gov, (630) 801-8985

McHenry and Lake County is served by the following State Representatives:

Representative David McSweeney, District 52, ilhouse52@gmail.com, (847) 516-0052
Representative Timothy Schmitz, District 65, info@timschmitz.org, (630) 845-9590
Representative Michael Tyron, District 66, mike@miketryon.com, (815) 459-6453
Representative Jack Franks, District 63, jack@jackfranks.org, (815) 334-0063
Representative Barbara Wheeler, District 64, repwheeler64@gmail.com, (815) 748-3494
Representative Sam Yingling, District 62, repsamyingling@gmail.com, (847) 231-6262
Representative Sheri Jesiel, District 61, jesiel@ilhousegop.org , (847) 855-8600
Representative Rita Mayfield, District 60, (847) 599-2800
Representative Carol Sente, District 59, (847) 478-9909