Senate Bill 16’s proposal to distribute state funds “based on local ability to pay” is a seemingly good idea. It makes sense that areas with more affluent residents should give part of the funding that would normally go to their local public schools to a school in an impoverished area. It makes sense until the realization hits that this bill is not as fair as it seems.

LT is located in an area with high property taxes. Many people pay a lot of money to live in the surrounding neighborhoods of LaGrange, Western Springs, LaGrange Park and Burr Ridge just so their children can be eligible for enrollment at LT. It is obvious that our school provides a quality education to its students, and it would be unfair to take from that, especially since people are paying a lot to reap the benefits from it.

Additionally, by cutting our funding, teachers may have to be laid off. A school with limited funding cannot justify hiring teachers to teach specialized classes such as ceramics and fashion interior and design, for example. Although some may argue that those classes are a superfluous way to spend a school’s money, they are very important to students who want to continue with a career in that field and to the teachers who teach them. This bill does not just concern the quality of education for students; it also affects the livelihood of teachers.

Looking beyond our own school, elementary schools such as Cossitt and Congress Park would have their funding cut as well. It is ignorant to assume that those schools as well as our own could withstand having some of their money taken away. There will always be new maintenance problems and technological developments to keep up with, whether it be a heating and ventilation problem or a computer program necessary for testing. The schools will need money for that, and it would be disadvantageous to defer their money to other schools if, in the end, more problems are created.

Now with all of that said, there is no dispute that every child, including those in impoverished areas, should have a quality education. I am a firm believer that every person has the right to be educated, but the way to go about helping these schools is not by cutting the funding of others. That would be counterproductive. Instead, the state should look into cutting back on other well-funded programs.

I, too, believe that it is incredibly sad that some schools cannot afford to give to their students textbooks, and if the state is disheartened by this as well, then they should search for more solutions to this growing problem. Redirecting another school’s funds is not the answer. Senate Bill 16 is not the only option for education reform; it is simply an idea that looks good on paper, but in practice will fail and create more problems than it solves.