 The Illinois State Board of Education convened a public hearing, the
second in a series of six, to gather suggestions as the state agency
prepares its next budget.The state faces a record budget deficit
estimated to reach $15 billion, which includes about $6 billion in
unpaid bills to vendors that provide services to the state.
Les Stevens, superintendent for North Greene Unit District No. 3
in west-central Illinois, said he was frustrated by the lack of
funding for his and other rural school districts.
"In our deficit reduction plan, I've included cuts which would
change things substantially in our district -- eight teachers,
three-and-a-half to four classroom aides, a custodian, a bus driver.
In our teacher area, that's over 10 percent of our teaching force,
which would seriously and negatively impact our ability to deliver
quality instruction," he said.
Alyssa Waag advocated in support of the Peoria County Bright
Futures program, which provides early childhood education and
support to families.
Waag, an 18-year-old single mother of her 13-month-old son
Benjamin, said Bright Futures family education specialist Penelope
Smith helped her overcome difficulties with pregnancy and
parenthood.
"I had postpartum depression, and they gave me information and
... led me in the right direction on what to do as far as getting
help," she said.
Waag is now attending Illinois Central College in Peoria with the
aim of going into nursing.
Over each of its last two budgets, state government has been the
recipient of about $1 billion in federal stimulus funds directed at
education.
Some federal money continues to trickle in, but the lack of
sustained federal funding could lead to a potential "cliff" that
state government would have to make up with cuts or new revenue.
Representatives of school districts, such as Diane Rutledge,
executive director of the Large Unit District Association, which
serves the 55 largest unit school districts in Illinois, advocated
that local school administrators know their communities best and
could make the lowest-impact cuts.
"We believe local control is where we would like to see our
decisions being able to be made. Again, local staff, superintendents
and their boards are reflecting their community and reflecting their
needs," she said.
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But Carolyn Blackwell, a Springfield native and gifted education
supporter, said the state should have some say on which education
programs are cut.
"When funding does get tight at the district level, music, art
and even athletic programs take precedence over gifted education. To
overcome this, we would like to see more responsibility assumed by
the state and policymakers to direct these funds specifically toward
the gifted learner," she said.
State Superintendent Christopher Koch said a lot of the
frustration with state government stems from the fact that local
administrators and education supporters do not know when they will
receive payments from the state.
That is leading to school districts having to plan out budgets
and payroll without funding. Koch said the state is still making
payments to schools from this March. He added that those payments
from the 2010 fiscal year would take priority.
When asked what he took away from the meeting, Koch said:
"Districts wanting flexibility ... also wanting to know a number
(for state payments). I think one of the problems we have now is
simply that they don't know and they're not getting (fiscal year)
'10 payments; we're still backlogged on those numbers."
The Illinois State Board of Education is holding four more public
hearings to plan its next budget. Koch said his agency will consider
the suggestions and finalize a proposed budget by December.
The remaining public hearing dates:
-
Nov. 3, 5-7 p.m.
-- Carl Sandburg School, multipurpose room, Mundelein School
District 75, 855 W. Hawley St., Mundelein
-
Nov. 8, 3-5 p.m.
-- St. Clair County Regional Office of Education, 1000 S.
Illinois St., Belleville
-
Nov. 15, 4-6 p.m.
-- DeKalb County Regional Office of Education, 2500 N. Annie
Glidden Road, DeKalb
-
Nov. 30, 4-6 p.m. -- Champaign Public
Library, Robeson Pavilion, Room C, 200 W. Green St., Champaign
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By KEVIN LEE] |
