Senator Don Harmon on education.

"I passed Senate Bill 565, creating the Illinois Early Learning Council.  In addition to the important work of the council, I have worked hard to ensure that additional funding for early childhood education is included in the State budget.  Since I came into office, Illinois has added $180 million to new early childhood education initiatives.

In the past three years we’ve encountered some of the toughest budget times in Illinois history.  Even with these challenges, I’ve fought to see that additional monies come to our local school districts.  We simply cannot balance the budget on the backs of our children.

Since I came into office, the State has put an additional $16,215,821 into the suburban portion of my district, along with almost $300,000,000 to the Chicago Public Schools. 

We have to do more.  Illinois owes the children of this state the opportunity for a quality education, and it owes our citizens to provide funding to our schools.  I continue to work with my fellow colleagues in the General Assembly, school districts around Illinois , and educational advocacy groups to find ways to increase school funding while controlling our over-reliance on regressive property taxes.  It is inexcusable to tax people out of their homes."

-Senator Don Harmon