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* Julia Evelsizer at the Pantagraph…
Though Gov. Bruce Rauner and state lawmakers acted to fully fund K-12 public schools despite the ongoing budget impasse, local district officials say it isn’t happening.
Each district is supposed to receive four quarterly categorical payments each fiscal year, in addition to general state aid, to help pay for transportation, special education and other expenses. Those categorical payments have been tied up for months, however, leaving districts to scramble to cover the shortfalls by moving money around, borrowing or looking to local property taxes. […]
While Illinois has been keeping up with its distribution of general state aid, which covers day-to-day operations for schools, categorical payments are sitting in a stack of unpaid bills at the state comptroller’s office that totaled nearly $10.9 billion at the end of December.
The final [GSA] payment for 2015-16 was received by most districts in December, six months past the usual deadline. So far, no categorical payments have been deposited for the 2016-17 school year.
The state owes Normal-based McLean County Unit 5 $6 million. Unit 5 Business Manager Marty Hickman said parts of his projected budget are “razor thin” or in the red, even with the assumption that some of the late payments will come through.
* Semi-related…
* City Sells $1.16B In Bonds, But Pays A Heavy Price For CPS Crisis: Chicago sold $1.16 billion in general obligation bonds Thursday, but paid a heavy price for a school financial crisis made worse by Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of a bill promising $215 million in pension help.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 11:08 am
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Comptroller Mendoza: you signed up for this job. This one is on you now.
Comment by TheInvisible Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 11:25 am
By 1.4%’s logic, if the money is in the budget, the schools are “fully funded”. It isn’t his fault that the invoices are waiting waiting to be paid in the comptroller’s office. /s
Comment by Huh? Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 11:26 am
===This one is on you now===
So, are you one of those people who believes that if they have checks in their checkbook that they must still have money in their checking account?
Mendoza can defend herself, but you can’t pay bills without money in the bank, dude.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 11:30 am
The question is…
… Do I believe school district after school district that say they are owed millions, and use real math to show it…
… Or do I believe a Governor whose own math is continually questioned on fronts everywhere.
That’s the question for me.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 11:33 am
As a former Rauner cheerleader, I have resigned for the Rauner fan club. I have had the last drop of his Kool-Aid.
It almost makes me long for Quinn.
I hope the Senate can wake up this State.
Comment by Mokenavince Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 11:40 am
Bruce Rauner is all hot air? Who knew?
Comment by Precinct Captain Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 11:40 am
@OW- Actually, you do not have to wonder whom to believe.
You can go to the ISBE website and go to “FRIS Inquiry” and look for yourself, as any member of the public can. The link is below for your convenience-
http://webprod1.isbe.net/FRISInquiry/
This is publicly available info that the press should know about, at least those that report on schools.
You can see the various funding items and see in real time what has been funded. It takes a little time to figure it out, but if you are interested you don/t have to wonder you can see the actual numbers.
Comment by JS Mill Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 11:41 am
JS Mill- Dusty Rhodes would be an excellent contact to share in-depth drill downs of this data with. Her contact page at WUIS-
http://nprillinois.org/people/dusty-rhodes#stream/0
Comment by Anon221 Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 11:48 am
- JS Mill -
Thanks.
I was waxing poetic, rhetorically, but thanks, I’ll check it out.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 11:51 am
Who are you going to believe, the governor or you’re lying eyes?
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 11:52 am
Fully funding of General State Aid is at FY 10 levels and is a mere 60% of EFAB recommendations. MCATs are not being paid. I guess fully funding education depends on your definition of fully funding.
Comment by nobody Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 11:56 am
To those offering criticism of the Governor on this issue, is it fair to assume that you also stood in opposition to the various spending bills offered in the last six months that were not linked to an additional funding stream?
Comment by Fugue State Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 12:00 pm
===To those offering criticism of the Governor on this issue, is it fair to assume that you also stood in opposition to the various spending bills offered in the last six months that were not linked to an additional funding stream?===
So… Rauner is a victim of himself not having a passed and signed budget?
lol
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 12:06 pm
Fugue, what a dazzling pivot to change the subject.
The governor is bragging today that schools are receiving record funding from the state. He’s taking credit for something that is an obvious lie and he must know it.
Is it okay to hold him accountable for his words and actions, or will it hurt your feelings?
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 12:06 pm
K-12 is operating under a fully enacted appropriation. There is no doubt that cash on hand is the problem and there is no doubt that any current payment delays would be even worse had additional spending bills, that had no funding stream, been enacted. K-12 has done well in terms of appropriations the last two years. That is undeniable.
Comment by Fugue State Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 12:17 pm
It’s nice of the Gov to pat himself on the back for Education increases. It’s a little ironic though when you consider that his own budget proposal last year is about $300 million less than what the legislature sent him. But by all means, take a bow, Bruce.
Comment by Get a Job!! Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 12:20 pm
@OW- Sorry, I went literal there, your point is well taken and appreciated.
Comment by JS Mill Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 12:21 pm
===K-12 has done well in terms of appropriations the last two years.===
Nah. Math is math is math.
Your words aren’t measurable to the movies owed to school district after school district.
===There is no doubt that cash on hand is the problem and there is no doubt that any current payment delays would be even worse had additional spending bills, that had no funding stream, been enacted.===
LOL!
Shorter…
“Rauner wanted an agenda more than a budget, and K-12 was too tough of a hostage to hold, so Rauner shorted districts. You’re welcome!”
===That is undeniable.===
Math is undeniable.
You’re in denial… but math is undeniable
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 12:22 pm
- JS Mill -
It’s all good, and in actuality I’m mocking myself, and thank you for the kind words.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 12:23 pm
Fugue, just who is it that calls the shots on what level of appropriations is actually spent and when? Chef Boyardee?
Roll this one around the pumpkin again: the governor is claiming credit record education funding, and that simply is not happening. And he knows it.
Geez, hard to believe, but the level of discourse from the Raunerbot cult is actually declining.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 12:27 pm
=That is undeniable.= Unless you are interested in the truth, that is.
Comment by JS Mill Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 12:29 pm
Fugue
K-12 has done well in terms of appropriations the last two years. That is undeniable.
Not really. Perhaps in comparison to higher education funding but that’s about it. It’s just more of the Raunner shell game. Couple this reality with a proposed local property tax freeze and you realize that his end game is to cut K-12 funding as well. Get a clue will you!
Comment by Old and In the Way Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 12:29 pm
On GSA funding-
The GSA foundation level of $6119 has not changed since FY 09. The chart used only shows that the “proration”, or discounting, of GSA stopped for the first time since 2011.
To do “fully fund” GSA, the poverty roles were scrubbed and reduced, which lowered the total amount of funding required to hit the full GSA number.
Full GSA does not mean a hill of beans if the other third of your state funding isn’t any where to be found and it is reduced significantly.
So, technically it is higher than the last few years.
Of course, no where does the governor or his staff mention any of the deets on how they were able to achieve “full funding” of GSA.
Comment by JS Mill Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 12:40 pm
By the Governor RubberCheck’s logic, he should quickly propose legislation to give every man, woman and child a $1 million check from the state. Even though the checks would bounce, we would all be rich!
Comment by vibes Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 2:16 pm
You did not provide full funding if you did not fund Special Education and Student Transportation.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 3:29 pm
PK-12 has been in a funding free fall for years. Not as drastic as the universities, but still in decline. The fact that our governor has the audacity to brag about “record” levels of finding is mind blowing and should start to shed light on his untruthful message. My only hope is that more people start to see that light and continue to shine more on his words and actions. If I felt he would learn anything from his tours of all these schools he loves to use as backdrops for his social media postings, I would encourage those educators that run those schools to give him an earful of “learnin’”. Unfortunately, I feel it would go in one ear and out the other.
Comment by Blago's Hare Friday, Jan 20, 17 @ 3:52 pm