 On a 74-36 vote, the Illinois House approved a plan to fund the
offices for just this fiscal year with about $13 million from the
personal property replacement tax, or PPRT. The PPRT is an
additional income tax levied on businesses by the state and
distributed to local municipalities.We're "very, very relieved
and happy," said Marc Kiehna, regional superintendent of schools for
Monroe and Randolph counties, after the vote.
Kiehna was joined by several other regional superintendents, who
exploded into applause after watching the House approve the measure.
State Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley, sponsored the
legislation and said it will cost local governments about a penny
for every dollar of PPRT money they receive.
The House's action comes nearly four months after Gov. Pat Quinn
vetoed money for the regional offices of education where the
regional superintendents work. Regional superintendents have been
working without pay since July.
"It is an embarrassment to the state of Illinois and needs to be
corrected," Mautino said.
Quinn reasoned this spring that if local areas wanted the
services provided by the regional offices, they should pay for them.
But most of the duties of the regional offices are state mandates,
such as certifying bus drivers and inspecting new schools prior to
opening them to students.
Mautino's measure creates an 11-person panel to explore how to
squeeze savings out of the regional offices, including passing some
duties to local schools or the Illinois State Board of Education and
combining some offices.
"This is nothing more than a Band-Aid on the issue until we can
give it a proper study," said state Rep. Roger Eddy, R-Hutsonville,
who is also the superintendent of Hutsonville School District.
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The measure is set to be taken up by the Illinois Senate on
Thursday during its last day of scheduled fall veto session.
"We will continue to educate legislators on the need to resolve
this issue now and will hope for a favorable result from the state
Senate," said Bob Daiber, president of the Illinois Association of
Regional Superintendents of Schools and Madison County regional
superintendent.
If the state Senate passes the measure, it will then go to Quinn,
who has indicated that he would sign the legislation.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By ANDREW THOMASON]
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