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 Parents and teachers of New Holland-Middletown School District are
receiving the following letter of reassurance from the
superintendent and board that NH-M school will open and stay open
for next school year despite the failure of legislators to pass a
balanced budget and the subsequent inability to provide schools with
allocated state funding.
Letter:
The Illinois General Assembly and Governor Rauner failed to reach
agreement on a state budget. The budget impasse continues in
Illinois. You may soon hear (or already may be hearing) speculation
about whether schools will be open in the fall.
I wanted to be perfectly clear and upfront to all parents and staff
members in our District that regardless of the budget impasse, New
Holland-Middletown ESD 88 will be open come August, 2016. The lack
of a state appropriation for K-12 Education in Fiscal Year 2017 will
result in dire consequences for many districts across the state and
in our region. For NH-M, state funding comprises about 59% of
revenue for Transportation and only about 5% of revenue for our
Education Fund. Fortunately thanks to the conservative actions of
our elected School Board over the past several years, our district
has fund reserves that will not only allow for the opening of
school, but enough operating fund balances that equate to 413 days
of "cash on hand," currently the largest operating fund balance (in
terms of days of cash on hand) in Logan County. These reserves
should sustain the district well beyond a full school year and
beyond as local property taxes will be collected timely. However,
ongoing dysfunction at the Capitol ultimately results in a shift of
the cost of educating Illinois' children to us, the local taxpayers.
What is happening right now? Not a lot in Springfield. Our top
priority should be to enact a budget that includes adequate funds
for all public schools. This will ensure that schools across the
state (not just the ones with balanced budgets) open on time and are
funded for the full year. While NH-M will not be directly affected
as much as other schools, ultimately the children of our state
regardless of their zip code should be everyone's concern. As
Eleanor Roosevelt said, "We do well when we all do well."
Toxic climates often lead one to avoid getting involved altogether,
as can be seen on the national level today with "outsider"
candidates such as Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump gaining such
popularity. However, if ever there was a time, NOW is the time to
get involved! Contact your elected officials to let them know your
feelings about the current "state of our state." Demand that
legislators return to Springfield and pass a budget.
Your board of education and I will continue to monitor this
situation. In fact, I recently attended a roundtable event with
Governor Rauner and other area superintendents earlier this week on
this very matter. We will develop contingency plans to respond to
the prospect of an ongoing budget impasse into next Spring. We are
committed to opening our schools on time, and every day, to continue
to provide the children of New Holland-Middletown with the highest
quality education to prepare them for college, careers and beyond.
Thank you for all you do to continuously support our great school,
Todd Dugan
Superintendent
New Holland-Middletown Elementary School District 88
Middletown, Illinois 62666 [Posted
June 10,
2016]
Click here to send a note to the editor about this letter.
[to top of second column in this letter] |
ADDRESSES OF STATE LEGISLATORS
Representatives
Rep.
Bill Mitchell (R), 101st District
- Springfield office:
632 Capitol Building
Springfield, IL 62706
217-782-8163
217-557-0571 fax
- District office:
5130 Hickory Point Frontage Road
Suite 100
Decatur, IL 62526
217-876-1968
217-876-1973 fax
- Email:
repmitchell@earthlink.net
Rep. Tim Butler (R) 87th District
- Springfield Office:
1128-E Stratton Office Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-0053
(217) 782-0897 FAX
- District Office:
1128-E Stratton Office Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-0053
(217) 782-0897 FAX
- Email:
butler@ilhousegop.org
Senators
Sen.
Bill Brady (R), 44th District
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