The embattled school funding bill, which fell short by four votes during the fall veto session, finally won the hearts of Springfield legislators Tuesday in a resounding House victory.

House Bill 452 passed 83-31 after several hours of debate, and now awaits Gov. Jim Edgar’s signature. Upon its signing, it will deliver $485 million of aid to the state’s neediest schools.

The needed revenue will come from a 14-cent per cigarette tax increase, a graduated gambling tax based on casino revenues, a 5-percent deadbeat tax penalty and a 2-percent telecommunications tax increase.

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The bill stipulates a new school aid foundation level of $4,225 in 1998, $4,325 in 1999 and $4,425 in 2000. The bill also establishes a $1.4-billion school construction bond program and delivers $35 million for the retiring of construction bond debt primarily in northern Illinois districts.

The bill also institutes several education reforms. It will mandate a restructuring of administrators’ contracts, extend the probationary period for tenure and make it harder for educators to renew their teaching certificates.

Opponents of the bill argue that its financial foundation is unstable because casino and revenue profits recently have dipped. Its proponents contend that the bill will provide the necessary relief for schools struggling to provide adequate education for their pupils, and that these schools cannot wait for alternative legislation to surface. They also champion the education reforms, saying they will heighten the quality of teaching and ensure academic standards.

Patty Schuh, Senate Republican press secretary, says the casino and cigarette tax base is stable and will provide a steady stream of funds to the schools most in need. She contends that the gaming industry has exceeded all of its financial expectations.

When riverboat gambling was implemented there was no way to tell what would happen, she said. It’s blossomed into an multi-billion industry. Now there’s an opportunity to allow them to still be competitive and to increase our tax revenue.

This is certainly beneficial legislation.

Some are surprised by the margin of victory HB 452 enjoyed. George Clowes, managing editor of the School Reform Newsletter published by the Heartland Institute, was stunned by Tuesday’s developments. Clowes rejects the bill because, he says, it does not adequately reform education.

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This bill isn’t good for Illinois, and it’s not good for the children of Illinois, Clowes said. There is no relationship between spending and achievement. There is no guarantee whatsoever that these additional funds will produce better quality and raise achievement levels.

This will do nothing for the schools.

Sen. Dave Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, voted for the bill when it was called in the Senate and is satisfied with Tuesday’s House vote. He maintains that problems in the education system still abound and will continue to plague Illinois’ schools. But, he says, HB 452 delivers two of the most needed mandates:raising the foundation level and establishing a bond construction program.

Most schools will get considerably more money, Luechtefeld said. We have a lot of schools that don’t have a lot money to spend per student. This gives them what they need to give the children adequate educations.

Luechtefeld also said the bill’s provisions provide a steady source of revenue. However, he denies that spending money will solve all of the problems imbedded in the education system.

I think this bill gives more stability to the system, he said. But schools have lots of problems that money doesn’t necessarily solve. Most of the problems are society’s problems like broken homes.

There will always be problems in something as complex as education.