Illinois School Funding Analysis
Property Tax Reliance Down, but New Demands for State Funds Loom
by Mike Klemens, Presented by Taxpayers' Federation of Illinois
Local property tax contributions to public school funding are 50 percent of the total, according to an Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) report. The same report puts state funding at 40 percent, the highest level in 18 years. A separate – and more widely cited – ISBE report says that property taxes account for 61 percent of school funding while the state’s contribution is at 27 percent.