In late February, the Highland Park School District faced the prospect of not being able to pay its staff, even though the district receives higher than average per-pupil funding: about $14,000. The district had been spending an even larger amount, about $16,000 per student, and was out of money and options.
In a matter of days, the Legislature passed a measure, House Bill 4445, that included a finish-the-year payment to any entity but Highland Park that took in Highland Park students or operated classes in existing Highland Park buildings. The measure passed on largely party-line votes after a particularly heated debate in the House.