Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is calling on Illinois’ suburban taxpayers to bail out its financially beleaguered public school district even through an analysis of Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) data shows Lake County property taxpayers are already subsidizing a Chicago school system that spends considerably more than their own.
Chicago spent $15,120 per student in 2014, or more than 28 of Lake County’s 44 school districts. And more than half of Chicago's money — $7,560 (51 percent) — comes from state and federal subsidies.
Chicago local property taxpayers currently pay for just 49 percent of Chicago’s public school spending. In contrast, all but four Lake County school districts pay for at least 60 percent of their own schools. In Lake County, 28 districts — or more than 6 out of 10 — pay more than 80 percent of their own bills.
These districts are the leading subsidizers of districts such as Chicago, even though many of them spend considerably less on their own schools than Chicago does.
Lake Villa District 41 spent $9,976 in 2014; 72 percent of it — $7,143 — came from local property taxpayers.
Big Hollow District 38 in Ingleside spent $9,315, covering 78 percent of its own bill. Winthrop Harbor District 1 spent $8,411 and paid for 86 percent of it. Mundelein District 75 spent $10,009 and paid for 79 percent locally.
Other Lake County districts spent similarly to Chicago, but got considerably less in state and federal subsidies.
Libertyville’s Oak Grove District 68 spent $15,478 and received just $666 from the state. Deerfield District 109 spent $15,568 and received $654.
Chicago received $5,141 per student from the state in 2014.
Lake County is home to four of the 10 lowest subsidy districts in Illinois.
Rondout District 72 in Lake Forest paid for 96.5 percent of its school funding; Bannockburn District 106 and Lake Forest CHSD 115 paid for 95.8 and 95.5 percent, respectively. CHSD 128 in Vernon Hills paid for 95.4 percent.
Emanuel and Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) are asking for another $1,250 per student, for a total of nearly $6,500 from the state. They have sought to justify the bailout, decrying the city’s school funding levels as “unfair” and “inequitable.”
Lake County School Districts Ranked by % Locally Funded
| District | Community | % Local Funding | Per-Pupil Spending |
| 1 | Rondout 72/Lake Forest | 96.5% | $30,628 |
| 2 | Bannockburn 106 | 95.8% | $22,472 |
| 3 | Lake Forest CHSD 115 | 95.5% | $23,672 |
| 4 | CHSD 128/Vernon Hills | 95.4% | $21,255 |
| 5 | Lake Forest SD 67 | 94.9% | $16,365 |
| 6 | Oak Grove 68/Libertyville | 94.7% | $15,478 |
| 7 | Deerfield 109 | 94.6% | $15,568 |
| 8 | Township 113/Highland Park | 94.1% | $24,848 |
| 9 | Lake Bluff 65 | 93.5% | $19,270 |
| 10 | Stevenson 125/Lincolnshire | 93.1% | $18,778 |
| 11 | Lincolnshire-Prairieview 103 | 92.9% | $15,695 |
| 12 | North Shore 112/Highland Park | 90.7% | $15,760 |
| 13 | Lake Zurich CUSD 95 | 90.3% | $12,291 |
| 14 | Kildeer Countryside CCSD 96 | 89.6% | $14,176 |
| 15 | Grass Lake 36/Antioch | 89.4% | $17,865 |
| 16 | Barrington CUSD 220 | 89.3% | $16,178 |
| 17 | Libertyville 70 | 89.1% | $11,783 |
| 18 | Woodland CCSD 50/Gurnee | 88.1% | $11,125 |
| 19 | Mundelein 120 | 87.3% | $14,500 |
| 20 | Grant 124 | 86.6% | $11,809 |
| 21 | Hawthorn CCSD/Vernon Hills | 85.9% | $13,157 |
| 22 | Winthrop Harbor 1 | 85.5% | $8,411 |
| 23 | CHSD 117/Lake Villa | 85.2% | $16,280 |
| 24 | Warren Township 121 | 84.9% | $12,090 |
| 25 | Gurnee 56 | 84.1% | $12,127 |
| 26 | Mundelein 75 | 79.2% | $10,009 |
| 27 | Antioch CCSD 34 | 79.0% | $10,656 |
| 28 | Aptakisic-Tripp 102/Buffalo Grove | 78.7% | $15,039 |
| 29 | Diamond Lake 76/Mundelein | 78.1% | $12,330 |
| 30 | Fox Lake 114/Spring Grove | 77.8% | $11,765 |
| 31 | Big Hollow 38/Ingleside | 76.9% | $9,315 |
| 32 | Millburn CCSD 24/Old Mill Creek | 76.6% | $10,256 |
| 33 | Grayslake CCSD 46 | 76.0% | $11,247 |
| 34 | Zion-Benton Township 126 | 73.9% | $14,230 |
| 35 | Lake Villa CCSD 41 | 71.6% | $9,976 |
| 36 | Emmons 33/Antioch | 68.1% | $15,259 |
| 37 | Fremont 79/Mundelein | 68.0% | $12,063 |
| 38 | Gavin 27/Ingleside | 67.9% | $12,458 |
| 39 | Beach Park CCSD 3 | 66.6% | $10,612 |
| 40 | Wauconda CUSD 118 | 61.2% | $10,728 |
| 41 | Chicago | 49.0% | $15,120 |
| 42 | Zion 6 | 42.3% | $10,767 |
| 43 | Round Lake CUSD 116 | 41.1% | $10,881 |
| 44 | Waukegan CUSD 60 | 37.5% | $12,600 |
| 45 | North Chicago 187 | 30.8% | $12,926 |
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