A Brief Primer on Illinois School Financing
The Dispatch-Argus June 25, 2018
“Andy and Jason are highly capable, earnest Eagle-Scout types. Over five years of hard work, they have taken the lead, along with scores of other participants, in crafting a new formula that will use evidence of best schoolroom practices to drive the allocation of increased amounts of state school dollars.”
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Will Illinois raise the minimum salary for teachers? Bill awaits Rauner’s action
Herald & Review June 25, 2018
“‘I don’t know why anybody wouldn’t want to pay teachers more,’ said Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, who spearheaded the effort to set a higher minimum salary.”
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Supreme Court hands a win to downstate communities, Main Street retailers
River Bender June 21, 2018
“Manar helped advance bipartisan legislation that requires out-of-state e-commerce retailers that do business with Illinois customers to collect a use tax under two conditions: their cumulative gross receipts exceed $100,000 or they have more than 200 separate transactions with customers in Illinois.”
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Statehouse race preview: McMillan vs. Manar
Illinois Homepage June 14, 2018
“‘I don’t view my role in elective office as summing up the politics of individual voters,’ Manar responded from one of his newly leased staff offices in Taylorville, which sits just around the block from McMillan’s a few blocks from the town square. ‘My job is to serve Democrats and Republicans equally.'”
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Companies can no longer charge for credit freeze under law co-sponsored by Manar
River Bender June 8, 2018
“A new law that State Senator Andy Manar helped advance in the Legislature will make it easier for central Illinois residents to protect themselves from identity theft during data breaches like the massive Equifax breach that exposed the personal information of 5.4 million Illinoisans last year.”
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Bristow and Manar join University of Illinois at Chicago and Lewis and Clark Community College in announcing new opportunities for nursing students
River Bender June 5, 2018
“State Rep. Monica Bristow, D-Godfrey, and state Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, have been working with the University of Illinois at Chicago and Lewis and Clark Community College to provide nursing students in the Metro East and Central Illinois with more opportunities to receive their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees.”
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Manar decries lack of downstate voices on Illinois Commerce Commission
Herald & Review May 29, 2018
“State Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, says that downstate deserves representation on the Illinois Commerce Commission that it has not received from appointments made by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.”
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Manar bill would raise starting teacher salaries to $40K
Herald & Review April 12, 2018
“Manar has introduced legislation in the Illinois Senate that would raise the statewide minimum salary for public school teachers to $40,000, tackling what he said is the root of the issue.”
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Illinois school districts to receive $395 million in additional funding
WQAD April 9, 2018
“This marks a dramatic and meaningful turning point in Illinois for public education,” said state Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill. “It’s a long time coming.”
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Decatur schools will receive $2.3M more in state funding under new formula
Herald & Review April 5, 2018
“The Decatur School District will be getting an additional $2.3 million under the state’s new evidence-based funding formula for public schools, according to the Illinois State Board of Education, which on Thursday issued vouchers to the state comptroller that clear the way for districts around the state to begin receiving money.”
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Final School Funding Bill Signed Into Law
NPR Illinois March 23, 2018
“‘For the first time in decades, money is going to be prioritized based on the need of each individual school district, which means the neediest districts are at the front of the line, not at the back of the line,’ Manar said.”
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Statehouse bill would connect rural schools to high-speed internet
The State Journal-Register January 17, 2018
“More than 90,000 students across 100 school districts in rural Illinois would get access to high-speed internet under a bill proposed Wednesday by state lawmakers.
Proponents say the bill takes advantage of federal money earmarked for Illinois while bridging the digital divide that puts many rural school districts at a disadvantage compared to their urban counterparts.”
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