The Differential Impact of the Senior Citizens Homestead and Homeowners Property Exemptions on Four Suburban Cook County School Districts

As concerns about the funding of public education grow, the necessity increases to review those programs and policies which contribute to the shrinking of the education dollar. The decrease in the school population, the addition of mandated but unfunded state reform programs, and the withdrawal of federal programs have affected school budgets. In addition, attempts by legislators to be responsive to an aging and studentless constituency have resulted in tax exemptions to stave off a full fledged taxpayer's revolt. Relief in property taxation has become a popular method of offering support to beleaguered taxpayers. The study at hand is designed to determine if a differential impact is felt by a certain type of school district as the result of two property tax exemptions in suburban Cook County, Illinois. Under study is the Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption and the Homeowners Exemption Program originally enacted in 1971 and subsequently increased by the Illinois State Legislature. Four suburban Cook County school districts are examined to determine the influence of lost tax revenues on the operations of the districts. Each district represents one of four district profiles: a slow growth residential tax based revenue district, a fast growth residential tax based revenue district, a slow growth commercial/industrial revenue based district, and a fast growth commercial/industrial revenue based district.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Hager, Maureen Leahy

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ward, James G.

• Education, Finance
• Education, Administration

Identifier

(UMI)AAI9329050

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/71942