Back in April, the Urban League cleared a major hurdle in its case against the Illinois State Board of Education when Cook County Circuit Judge Martin Agran agreed that the inequitable school funding system in Illinois violates students' civil rights. Now, Sen. James Meeks is once again pushing his plan to reform the state's funding formula by restructuring taxes to free up $3 billion a year more for public education. After SB 750 passed out of the Senate Education Committee hearing yesterday, the Chicago Democrat cast a warning to his fellow lawmakers. Illinois Issues grabbed the quote:

"It would be a shame if the court has to mandate Illinois to do what Illinois should have been doing all along,” [Meeks] said.

The prospect of the judicial branch forcing a change in the state's funding formula may not be the primary factor behind SB 750's momentum. But with the bill set to hit the Senate floor this week, Meeks and the Urban League are helpfully reminding lawmakers of the pending case. Time is of the essence: For the first time in decades, an income tax hike is on the table in Springfield, presenting a unique opportunity to fix a school funding system that has plagued the overall health of the state.

If lawmakers adopt Meeks' plan to recalibrate school funding, the Urban League announced in a press conference yesterday that they'd drop their case. Otherwise, supporters are threatening political consequences in the upcoming 2010 election cycle. More from a Sun-Times dispatch from the conference:

“I think the question here is, for the state, for the Legislature, for anyone seeking political office is that through your inaction, are you protecting a system that clearly discriminates against students based on race, income and zip code?” [Chicago Urban League CEO Cheryle] Jackson asked during the news conference.

“Inaction speaks volumes; it says that you’re willing to protect and not speak out against a system that clearly discriminates.”