Edgar Renews Call for School Finance Reform

By Kerry A. White

In his eighth and final State of the State Address last week, Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar outlined his administration's past victories and vowed to stay focused on children and economic growth during his last year in office.

The Republican governor, who has spent the past several years fighting to change the state's property-tax-reliant school finance formula, once again used the address to call attention to what he sees as the "unfinished business" of finance reform.

"The current system remains unfair. We need to change it," Gov. Edgar, who decided last summer not to run for another term,...