Classrooms First Act aims to let voters choose to consolidate school
districts
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[March 26, 2021]
By Kevin Bessler
(The Center Square) – Illinois has 852
school districts, twice as many as the national average.
A bill moving through the statehouse would change that.
The Classrooms First Act aims to free up school district administrative
dollars and target the money to schools.
The bill's chief sponsor, Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan, said the
spending habits of the state’s school boards are out of control.
“It is just really ridiculous when you look at that tax bill and you
just see all of this money that is going out the door,” Mayfield said.
“They are greedy and they are constantly asking for more.”
The bill would create the school District Efficiency Commission which
would then make recommendations on consolidation. The recommendation
would go directly to voters, allowing parents, teachers and taxpayers
living within that school district to make the final decision. The goal
is to reduce the total number of school districts by 25%.
The bill faces opposition from the Illinois Association of School Boards
and from over 100 school administrators. According to Illinois Policy,
21 of the administrators make a salary above $200,000 a year.
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Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, right,
talks with Illinois State Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan, left,
during the lame-duck session for the Illinois House of
Representatives held at the Bank of Springfield Center during the
COVID-19 pandemic, Monday, January 11, 2021, in Springfield, Ill.
In Illinois, district-level general administration costs $598 per
student, which is 2.5 times the national average. In the past 4
years, both student enrollment and teacher employment at Illinois
K-12 public school districts fell by 2%, while the number of
administrators grew by 1.5%, according to Illinois Policy.
Adam Schuster, senior director of budget and tax research for
Illinois Policy, said the legislation benefits everyone involved.
“Frankly, I think it is a common-sense idea,” Schuster said. “It's a
win-win for teachers, for taxpayers, for students, and the only
people who really seem to be strongly opposed to it are those with a
financial interest in keeping the bureaucratic waste.”
The bill passed the House Elementary and Secondary Education
Committee and now enters an ongoing discussion with different
stakeholders. Mayfield said she will bring the bill back to the
committee with different verbiage before sending it to a House floor
vote. |