 "In this climate, over the past few years I've seen more and more
inquires about consolidation. And certainly it's an important
conversation to have. Our board, this summer and August had, during
their retreat, a considerable look at consolidation," Koch said
during an interview with Illinois Farm Bureau Radio Network.His
comments came a week after Gov. Pat Quinn delivered his budget
address. Quinn's office said that by eliminating about 500 districts
from the current total of 868, the state could save $100 million by
reducing administrative redundancies.
As of now, changing a school district occurs on the local level,
but Quinn's office says its plan would involve legislating
consolidations. Having the state direct school districts to do this
might avoid a situation where residents agree with the concept but
don't want it in their community, Koch said.
"There are certainly examples of inefficiencies. We have
neighboring districts that have built new schools serving the same
population and neither one full. There are all sorts of examples
throughout the state," he said. "And I've had many local
superintendents approaching in my four years in this job and say,
'You know we really need to do this, but we can't do it here; you've
got to push it from the top.’"
Legislators caution against using too broad an approach. State
Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, created a task force to examine
the topic before Quinn highlighted his plan.
"The task force itself would work on what that would look like
because, in the state of Illinois, one glove doesn't fit the entire
state. We have a lot different needs and concerns as far as
transportation time, but I'm going to be working with him," Chapa
LaVia said.
She and Koch said there are places in the state's education
system where combining districts makes sense. One concern of Chapa
LaVia's is school administration payrolls.
"When I look around the state and know that 274 superintendents
make more money than the governor of the state of Illinois, and some
of them make more than the president of the United States, there's a
problem with that if you're a public servant and you're making that
much money. So we've gotten out of control on a lot of issues. I'm
not specifically saying that's the only issue. There are a lot of
issues," she said.
Quinn, a Democrat, earned praise from the other side of the aisle
for his proposal too. State Rep. Roger Eddy, R-Hutsonville, said he
"applauded" the governor for bringing up such a sensitive subject.
[to top of second column] |
Eddy should know -- he is the superintendent for the Hutsonville
school district. Though Eddy said he wasn't sure he could support
the way Quinn is going about consolidation by appointing a
commission to redraw district boundaries.
"We need local input. The commission route where lines are drawn
and there's no vote, I really think has to be questioned, especially
by (Quinn), who is a populist and likes referendums and voting. But
at the same time maybe it is time for us to take a serious look at
the number of school districts we have," Eddy said.
Smaller, rural school districts could likely be absorbed by
larger ones. Figures from the 2010 census show populations in most
rural counties dropping, but the opposite is true for counties that
have major urban areas.
This could have the opposite of the desired effect because many
smaller districts rank higher on standardized testing while spending
less per pupil when compared with their counterparts, according to
Eddy.
"Cost and student performance: If they meet those criteria, they
should have the opportunity to show that and maybe left alone in
those cases," Eddy said.
In the end, all districts will have to make changes as the state
grapples with financial difficulties, according to Chapa LaVia.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By ANDREW THOMASON]
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