Metro East Sun

Mike Babcock, the Republican challenger for the state House District 111 seat, focused on a balanced budget, jobs and education to form the triad of his platform.

School funding is of particular concern to the father of three. He understands that a quality education is essential to the success of Illinois' children.

"Bailing out Chicago’s failing schools shouldn’t be at our own schools’ expense," Babcock said. "Investing in our education system is important and funding needs to be done more justly."

The future of Illinois' schools was in doubt when the legislature failed to pass a budget for the second year in a row. Unlike the previous year, the General Assembly did not pass a separate education bill in May. Without funding, it was uncertain if schools would open in fall.

The stopgap appropriations bill passed in late June provided an additional $361 million in General State Aid for school districts. This included a $250 million Equity Grant. Approximately $100 million of the grant will go to Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The remainder of the grant will be divided among districts according to the number of low-income students enrolled in their schools. In addition, the bill ensured that every district would receive at least as much as it did in FY 2016.

While the stopgap bill funded K-12 education for the full year, legislators must address the full budget after the November general election. Babcock pointed to his experience as a small business owner and seven years as a Wood River Township supervisor. Despite falling property values and rising property taxes, he balanced the budget every year while maintaining services and cutting the township's tax levy.