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1		HOUSE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, Article X, Section 1 of the Illinois Constitution
3		provides that "A fundamental goal of the People of the State is
4		the educational development of all persons to the limits of
5		their capacities."; the Section also provides that "The State
6		shall provide for an efficient system of high quality public
7		educational institutions and services." and that "The State has
8		the primary responsibility for financing the system of public
9		education."; and
10		WHEREAS, The economic competitiveness of the United States
11		and Illinois in the global economy requires a well-educated
12		workforce; and
13		WHEREAS, In 2015, education is more important than ever
14		because it is an essential step to entering and remaining in
15		the middle class; and
16		WHEREAS, High school dropouts are more than twice as likely
17		to be unemployed and 3 times as likely to receive welfare
18		assistance; nationally, this costs billions of dollars to
19		government-funded assistance programs annually; and
20		WHEREAS, The United States Census Bureau estimates that a
21		person with a high school diploma will earn $9,634 more per

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1		year than someone without a high school diploma; and
2		WHEREAS, In 2014, people without a high school diploma had
3		a 9% unemployment rate, compared to a 6% rate for those with a
4		high school diploma; and
5		WHEREAS, A well-educated citizenry improves the business
6		climate by providing highly skilled workers that employers
7		need; and
8		WHEREAS, According to a Georgetown University study, the
9		United States economy will face a shortage of 5 million workers
10		with the necessary education and training by 2020; and
11		WHEREAS, The majority of jobs that will be created will
12		require some sort of education and training after high school;
13		and
14		WHEREAS, Males with a college education live an average of
15		8 years longer than those without a high school diploma, while
16		females with a college education lived an average of 6 years
17		longer; males with a college education are also 55% more likely
18		to vote than those without a high school diploma, and females
19		with a college education are 40% more likely to vote than those
20		without a high school diploma; a one-year increase in median
21		education level is associated with a more than 13% increase in

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1		political primary turnouts; and
2		WHEREAS, Between 1987 and 2007, the United States has
3		increased spending on incarceration by 127%, compared with a
4		21% increase in funding for education during the same time
5		period; and
6		WHEREAS, Forty-one percent of all prisoners have not
7		completed high school, compared to 18% of the general adult
8		population; and
9		WHEREAS, The annual cost of incarcerating an individual is
10		roughly $32,000, while the annual cost of educating a student
11		is about $11,000; a 5% increase in male graduation rates
12		nationally would save an estimated $5 billion annually in
13		crime-related expenses; and
14		WHEREAS, Investment in education is shown to prevent
15		violence by providing opportunities and knowledge that create a
16		higher quality life; and
17		WHEREAS, The average annual public health cost is an
18		estimated $2,700 per high school dropout, $1,000 per high
19		school graduate, and $170 per college graduate; it is estimated
20		that if every high school dropout graduated, the national
21		savings in public health costs would exceed $40 billion

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1		annually; and
2		WHEREAS, The foundation level is the statutorily set
3		minimum per-pupil funding necessary to adequately educate
4		public K-12 students in Illinois through a combination of State
5		and local resources; the foundation level has remained at
6		$6,119 since the 2009-2010 school year, despite rising costs of
7		education; and
8		WHEREAS, The Education Funding Advisory Board recommended
9		that the foundation level be changed to $8,899 for Fiscal Year
10		2016 to adequately fund the educational needs of students; and
11		WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has not fully funded K-12
12		education since Fiscal Year 2009; and
13		WHEREAS, For Fiscal Year 2015, General State Aid to schools
14		was prorated at 87.1% and the State's share of K-12 education
15		funding was underfunded by nearly $650 million; Illinois
16		currently ranks last in state share of P-12 education funding;
17		and
18		WHEREAS, Improved education and more stable employment
19		greatly increase tax revenue, such as a return of at least 7
20		dollars for every dollar invested in pre-kindergarten
21		education; and

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1		WHEREAS, A high quality education system should be the
2		identity and legacy that we establish for Illinois and the
3		United States; in addition, education should be the number one
4		budget priority for the State of Illinois; therefore, be it
5		RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6		NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
7		acknowledge the importance of having a high quality education
8		system and all of the societal benefits that go along with it;
9		and be it further
10		RESOLVED, That we encourage the General Assembly to make
11		education a priority in the Fiscal Year 2016 budget and to
12		fully fund elementary and secondary education; and be it
13		further
14		RESOLVED, That we encourage the business community to
15		advocate for a high quality education system in Illinois, which
16		will benefit the business climate as well as the citizens of
17		Illinois; and be it further
18		RESOLVED, That we encourage the General Assembly to
19		continue to strive to create an adequately funded and high
20		quality education system for the benefit of all citizens.