Flanked by local Republican legislators and school officials, Gov. Bruce Rauner stopped by Bloomington High School on Thursday to tout the state's new school funding formula.
Rauner said the new formula will channel additional resources to the local District 87 and Unit 5 school systems. The governor was short on details about what new resources the schools would receive.
The state continues to face a revenue shortfall as well as under-funded pensions. Rauner said he would have liked the new policy to further reduce regulations on schools.
"This bill is not perfect. There are some things in there I don't really like. Everybody has things in there they probably would have preferred to have done differently, but this is what compromise is," Rauner said.
The formula passed with rare bipartisan support. Rauner signed it later Thursday in Chicago.
Government student classes were brought to hear Rauner speak about the new funding formula. Rauner invited comments from students, but only one ventured a question. The student wanted to know where else in the state Rauner had traveled.
Junior Makenzie Watson said many students didn't know previously who the governor is.
"Most everybody doesn't want to learn about the governor or any of the officials in our state. They usually don't care. They don't think it involves them," Watson said.
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