Gov. Rauner visits Legislative Education Network of DuPage County

The Legislative Education Network of DuPage County (LEND) is a legislative group representing DuPage County school districts serving 170,000 children. It was formed in 1980 to serve the needs of the districts on a local and statewide level. The LEND Council meets monthly. The decision-making body of the organization includes administrators, school board members and parents from member districts.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner attended the LEND meeting on May 4 and spoke about public education. He said his focus is to reduce the number of unfunded mandates school districts face, restructure state funding to enable more money to reach teachers inside the classroom and increase the emphasis on student growth rather than local and state assessment scores.

Rauner also answered questions from attendees at the meeting, who asked about possible legislation that would freeze property taxes. They shared with Rauner their concern regarding the negative impact such legislation would have on revenue for school districts, which helps ensure a quality education for students. Audience members also asked about the state budget and how much money would be allocated for education. Rauner said the budget is still being finalized, but said education is a priority.

For more information about LEND, go to www.lend-dupage.org.