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Downstate school bumped up to top of list

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Last week, the governor decided not to visit the dilapidated Carterville High School while he was in town. There was a minor uproar and he came back. What he saw appalled him and he immediately pledged to find money to help fix the school.

Making good on his promise Friday to provide emergency funding to Carterville High School, Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced he will provide $1.9 million in school bonding funds to make some repairs to the dilapidated building.

But that meant the school repair “waiting list” had to be thrown out.

There were 24 schools at the top of a “waiting list” for construction money based on their application four years ago for state funding. Friday, Blagojevich said he was throwing out that list and moving Carterville - which was not on the 2002 list - to the top.

The governor has said that he can’t help schools because the General Assembly won’t pass a capital bill. So where did the money come from?

Ottenhoff said the money is coming out of the Build Illinois bonded fund, which can be used for repairs, but not for new construction.

And there will apparently be more opportunities to hold more press conferences… er, I mean help more schools.

“There’s still enough funding authority left for the state to help several schools. Carterville is not the only school we’re going to be able to help.” She didn’t have answers to exactly how much money was in that fund or why it hasn’t been accessed earlier for school construction needs. As for the governor’s decision to “throw out” the old list created in 2002, Ottenhoff said that doesn’t mean the 24 schools on the original list are going to be ignored.

This was also interesting.

Blagojevich said he has researched the powers of the governor, seeking a way to just unilaterally build schools, but he could find â€œno legal vehicleâ€ to take such action. Building the new schools will require the cooperation of the Republicans in the legislature, he said.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 7:32 am

Comments

I think it was Queen Victoria who said “I may vomit.”

Thank goodness pandering is not a criminal offense for elected officials. And now we blame the Republicans as well.

Perhaps he might show his noggin in Jersey County where those funds were provided to help build a new high school after a referendum failed ignominiously. The State money was combined with non-referendum bonds to tax the people anyway. That is now in litigation.

Comment by Truthful James Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 8:00 am
And the Build Illinois funds that got frozen several years ago. Are they now thawed or do you have to somehow arrange a local meeting with the Gov so he can make a sudden reversal decision? Current policy is pretty clear that waiting lists and spending priorities no longer matter as long as Rod can come to your town.

Comment by zatoichi Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 8:17 am
This is confusing.

So, there is money right now for repairs in the
Build Illinois fund but it’s not being used, because….? But now it is, for one school.

So, was the 24 school list for brand new schools or for schools needing repairs. And if some or all of the 24 were requesting repairs, why weren’t they getting the money if it is so easily dislodged from the fund.

Clearly, the guv is using the school construction issue to bash the Republicans; he’d rather see no school construction than a Republican win.

But the downstate communities who allowed this to happen bear considerable responsibility as well. Why weren’t they/aren’t they demanding the repair money that is legitimately theirs. After all, some of those downstate school administrators make pretty good bucks for their time.

Are they sheep? Or just incompetent?

Well, yes.

Comment by Cassandra Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 8:25 am
I really didn’t think he could go any lower, but Gov Hair-job has actually done it. Wow

Comment by frustrated GOP Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 8:26 am
The old “Chicken in Every Pot and a Car in Every Garage” adage. Dang that pesky Illinois Consitution and those stubborn lawmakers.

Comment by Walking Wounded Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 8:33 am
Cassandra –

You are one jump outside reality. It is not “their” money. It is the taxpayers money. We are, after all, paying the debt service on the Build Illinois Bonds.

Georgie Porgie used the proceeds to get legislative leverage in the democrat districts and to support his Republicans.

Roddy Appleseed uses the funds to sprinkle where he can obtain personal political advantage. The kings of old used to travel throughout the realm with their Chancellors of the Exchequers and trunks — collecting taxes and fealty while passing out beneficences.

Not much difference to us subjects. As long as we can get small baubles, we think we are gaming the system. In reality, it is gaming us.

Comment by Truthful James Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 8:47 am
It is their money if it has been earmarked for school construction of some type by taxpayer representatives and those communities have a legitimate need. Clearly, the school Blago decided to bless with some cash had a legitimate need, from descriptions in the media. Although I do wonder why the local community let it deteriorate to such an extent. Waiting for the state to bail them out, I guess, instead of increasing their property taxes.

Your description of Blago dispensing our money back to us as did kings of yore is correct.

But the subjects bear some responsibility for letting him get away with it without a murmur.
And there haven’t been many murmurs, even from traditional oppositon and good government groups.

Comment by Cassandra Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 9:06 am
See, this is how they run everything now; if you want them to do their job, you have to make everything a press opportunity first. We should all be extremely insulted.

And this toying with the funds as bread to be tossed out on campaign stops has got to stop, it is like a Donovan song, “first there is some money, then there is no money, then there is”.
The way Rod and his people operate is plain evil.

Comment by please make it stop Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 9:06 am
The 24 school districts from the FYO2 list have been knocking on the Governor’s door and the 4 legislative leaders doors for the past three years. The General Assembly (Democrats and Republicans) have got to come together to make this happen. By the way, I’m not a sheep and I’m not incompetent. Life is always easy for those in the cheap seats.

Comment by down state sup't Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 9:32 am
Carterville is no longer the little backwoods, rural school district it was even 20-30 years ago. The town has experienced a huge growth and a lot of new housing - VERY EXPENSIVE NEW housing. Shame on the residents for not voting for a tax increase to pay for the new or remodeled schools they need. What really breaks my heart about this whole thing is that poor GoverNOT Hairdo cannot find a way to go around the legislature and dole out funding for schools. Now that is a real constitutional shame that he cannot be a one man show and get all the glory. However, if I were the Carterville school board, I wouldn’t begin lining up contractors until I have taken the check to the bank and have cold hard cash in my hands. That’s the only assurance they have that their school will be repaired. This is nothing but political pandering and I hope the people of southern Illinois are smart enough to believe this is nothing more, nothing less. And just to keep from pi$$ing off the other 24 districts on the so-called waiting list, look for Elvis to have 24 more “daily” announcements for those school districts as well. Wow, a little over 60 days until the election and he’s already got 24 of them covered with individual press releases about money for schools. Way to go Elvis.

Comment by Little Egypt Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 9:34 am
OK, now I’m confused. The gov finds $1.9 million for emergency repairs to a crumbling high school and the spokeswoman says that the money is only for repairs and can’t go for new construction.

OK, that’s great. We should have money set aside for worst-case scenarios. Just wondering why Carterville wasn’t brought to everyone’s attention sooner. Was the school condemned?

Here’s the confusing part: Are we sinking $1.9 million into a school that’s going to be demolished? The Carterville District’s web site has these nice pictures of the open field where the “new” high school is planned and then drawings of what it will look like. Obviously that’s going to cost more than $1.9 million, but what’s the deal here?

Oh, and here’s the link:
http://www.c-ville.wilmsn.k12.il.us/highsch/images/future_chs.html

Comment by anon Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 9:44 am
Is this how government is to be operated? Even after one term in office, Blagojevich still can’t get his priorities straight? Has he any confidence in his staff regarding their priorities?

This is chaos. No one tells him this school is a mess, enough for his attention. Then after he finds out, he has to verify it himself? Then after he personally see it, he moves the school to the top of the list? What kind of administration is this inept?

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 9:57 am
Sorry to inject a little reality into this discussion, but there is absolutely NO excuse for a school to be crumbling under current Illinois law.

Every 10 years, every public school district in Illinois is required to perform a life safety evaluation of all facilities. The report must be prepared by an experienced Architect/Engineer licensed to practice in Illinois.

Once the Life Safety Evaluation Report is prepared and approved by the Board, it is submitted to the Regional Superintendent of schools.

Among the “repairs” approved by the Regional Superintendent is fully air conditioning schools which previously had no AC, new carpeting, new plumbing and fixtures, new boilers and air handling equipment, mew lighting, new ceilings, and a myriad of other “wants” rather than “needs”.

Once the “rubber stamp” is received from the Regional Super, the district can sell bonds to fund the repairs.

Here’s the real kicker regarding work done as “life safety”; it is financed by bonds which may be automatically added to real estate bills without refendum or public approval, and repaid as rapidly as the board chooses.

What is at work here is the political drive to have the state fund work which could have, and perhaps should have, been financed in the community.

And we taxpayers footing the bill for our schools repairs NOT funded by the state now will be paying for what appear to be repairs to a building about to be demolished.

Without so much as a “thank you” from Carterville…..

Comment by PalosParkBob Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 10:10 am
Since you asked, Carterville passed a $6 Million referendum three years ago, sold their own bonds and has been waiting for $16 Million from the State.

That combination will replace its existing high school enrollment just above 500 with growth in the picture (this year’s kindergarten is 160).

The Blago money was for repairs to the existing school. The new school will likely not be ready until this year’s freshamn class is at least in their senior year.

In the meantime, the bond proceeds have paid off the underwriters and the costs of issuance, the project money has been invested (probable negative arbitrage because they can’t earn more than the yield on the bonds.)

The school has been architected and engineered. Construction costs had risen 8% per year.

Comment by Truthful James Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 10:12 am
I told y’all, Carterville is far from being an impoverished community. By the time the new high school is built, it will be known as the Naperville of the south. I agree, why is Elvis giving them $1.9M for a school that will soon be abandoned? Answer: Because he can AND because it’s 2 months away from an election. And PaoloParkBob, you are 100 percent correct.

Comment by Little Egypt Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 10:17 am
Truthful,
thanks for the info and welcome to the club. All the schools on the list have been waiting for years for state funds. You’ve got districts who are about to have their local tax hikes to cover their share of the construction nullified because the state’s been so tardy. You’ve got other districts with sagging roofs, busted boilers and other expensive repairs to buildings that will be abandoned as soon as the state helps the district build a new building. You’ve had an entire high school class go through four years of taking some classes in trailers because the state money for the new building never arrived. And in all these cases the cost of construction now or next year is far more than the estimates the districts submitted to the state three, four, five years ago.

I guess the overall question is why did Carterville go to the top of the list?

Comment by anon Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 10:35 am
One other thing you bloggers should know about the state school construction program is that the prioritization is essentially a political sham.

A good case in point is the recent construciton program in Palos District 118, which was ranked as the 14th highest “need” in the state.

The fact is the district enrollment has dropped by 15% over the last 10 years, and exisitng facilities are relatively new and well maintained were ignored by the state.

The original application, prepared by a licensed architect, showed our capacity was well above enrollment, and enrollment was expected to continue to drop.

How, then did the state get such a high ranking of “need”?

The ISBE/CDB sent an “evaluator” to the district’s three schools, and guess what?

He determined that our 750 sf classrooms were only “adequate” for 13 students, and , since class size averaged about 24 students per class, we had 443 “unhoused” students.

Since priority is based on percentage of “unhoused” students, we were near the top of the list.

Never mind that we would NEVER reduce class size to 13 students and that 24 students would still be in those classrooms after renovation.

Never mind that enrollment was dropping like a stone, and that facilities were recently renovated and in excellent shape.

The CDB determined that the “appropriate cost” for classroom construction to address the “unhoused” students was $8 million, of which the state would provide $3 million.

OF course, this just opened Pandora’s box for the district, and the cost of the project skyrocketed to over $21 million, which the district refused to put to the voters in a referendum.

They entirely funded the project with “working cash bonds”. When the community successfully petioned to have the sale of the bonds put on the ballot, the district cancelled the bond sale, then started the process all over again, and the second petition drive ran out of steam.

We filed a FOIA to find out how the CDB determined the amount of the construction cost and grant, but we found out there was no documentation as to how either amount was determined.

The point here is that the state construction program is a politically convoluted mess which is manipulated as those running it see fit.

IF some intrepid reporter wanted to look at how state school construction priorities are established, as well as the amount of the grants, it might make some very interesting reading.

Comment by PalosParkBob Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 10:41 am
How much does the gov need the GOP? I thought the Dems had enough votes to nullify the GOP/

Comment by Wumpus Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 10:46 am
Wow,
Congratulations Bob!
You obstructed improvements to your local school. I hope that the voters remember that.

Comment by Bill Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 10:56 am
Carterville did no go to the top of the Capital Funding list. Blago had some 1.9 MM in his pocket for necessary repairs not new construction.

Palos Park Bob is right on. The process is designed to spend Capital Funding money — regardless of what the taxpayers want.

Thus the Working Cash scam. This is about as loosey goosey as it gets.

Originally and by definition non-referendum working cash bond funding was to take care of the slack months in the year when expenditures exceeded revenues. It was then to be paid back from fat months. Otherwise the School Districts would have to go to the bank to borrow. It was cheaper to fund this revolving fund internally.

As it happened, the legislature left it open ended. So instead of paying the working cash fund back in the fat months, the Districts spent the extra money through the medium of a “permanent transfer”. Money from the WC Fund was flushed to the Education Fund. This enabled schools to give the appearance of a balanced budget. It enabled the games played with teacher salaries in pre pension years.

Then when there was nothing left in the WC Fund it was abolished; (the bonds originally issued to put the dough in remained generally outstanding.) And then they repeated it.

Finance 101 lesson. Never finance with any liability lasting longer than the life of the asset.

The legislature saw all this happening and did not give a damn.

Then Districts thought, why not use WC Bonds to finance Capital Assets. We don’t have to have a pesky referendum. We will sell the Bonds (playing second base) throw the money into the Ed Fund (the shortstop) who will then relay the money to pay the Capital Project (first base.)

And the taxpayers have no say. They turn down property tax increases, but they pay more anyway. (Bonds are exempted from tax caps).

And the band in Springfield plays on.

Then the District sold another series of Working Cash Bonds and repeated the process

Comment by Truthful James Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 11:09 am
Why is anyone surprised by this?

This is an age old election tactic well used by all Governors, all Legislators and all Congressmen, regardless of party. Even the President shows up now and then to drop off a check before the election.

I was watching a program this weekend on the History Channel about ancient Rome and how the Emporers used public works to enrich their friends and buy off their conquered lands.

Think about it, without these magnificent public works to impress the people throughout the ages, we might not have some of civilization’s most wonderful architectural gems from Egypt to Rome, Mayans to the Incas, Thailand to India, China to Tibet, Moscow to St. Petersburg, etc., etc.

We’ll now just have to add Carterville to the list!

Comment by Anon sequitur Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 11:14 am
Bill –

The line and sinker is that the State will fake need. The hook is that the District’s taxpayers saw through the sham and did not want to pony up the money to support the sham.

And you fall for it, hook, line and sinker.

Special interest groups continue to sing the Celozzi Ettleson jingle, as amended.

“Illinois — where we will always spend more of your money.”

Comment by Truthful James Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 11:20 am
Are they actually getting the money, or a promise that he will deliver? It seems to me that he’s done this before with Senator Meeks and the black church that burned down on the south side of Chicago. I don’t think either of those checks have cleared yet, why should the people in Carterville expect their check will?

Comment by Capt. Caveman Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 11:49 am
Ready…..FIRE…..Aim….!!!!! Entertainment at it’s best. He must be the self appointed King as he sure doesnâ€™t appear to need or use the legislature! Someone, please, find a crown for his fullness!!!

Comment by Justice Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 12:08 pm
PalosParkBob has his facts wrong (I know, when does that stop anybody here). You cannot just put something on a list, get state rubber stamp and then issue bonds willy-nilly. First, an architect has to sign off, at risk of their license. Second, the State has to sign off - and they DO NOT approve everything - it has to be life safety related. Third - you cannot issue bonds beyond your bond ceiling nor without a referendum, unless you have leftover tax-limited bonding capacity under the tax cap law. I know the schools in my district would be in a lot better shape if it was as easy as Bob seems to think.

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 12:25 pm
Bob usually has his facts wrong and never misses a chance to bash public schools,unions,and others who offend his right-wing agenda. You would think that someone who lives in one of the most affluent areas of the state and who feels the need to identify himself by where he lives would be just a little less selfish.

Comment by Bill Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 12:34 pm
Anon:

How nice to live in an animated fantasy world in which the state owned architects get paid fancy fees to go out and recommend ineligibility. Nope, the EdLobby has its way and nobody ever questions the recommendation for more space. Except in Palos and Jersey where the taxpayers caught up with the scam. That did not impede the State Agency from approving the expenditure wven though it required the District to sell Bonds as well.

Carterville did pass a referendum. That us appropriate, But they still did not get the money to build. Jersey County voted the referendum down by a substantial margin but they found the District going behind their back and using some of those limited tax bonds. Limited or unlimited tax, the effect on taxpayer wallets is just the same.

Comment by Truthful James Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 12:59 pm
Before Carterville starts too much celebrating they better make sure that promised money is in the bank.

In Springfield a group of World War II veterans approached the governor about building a WWII memorial in Springfield. The governor took the photo ops and press releases and promised the veterans his full support provided they raise a certain percentage of the required money. Well these veterans worked their tails off holding up their end of the bargain and let’s remember these are men and women around 80 years old. When time came for the governor to put up the state’s end of the money that he had promised beforehand he held it back. It was only after these aged veterans threatened to go public with the double-cross that the governor, fearing bad publicity, finally kept his word.

So if Carterville doesn’t have it in the bank yet they better not count it. But from the governor’s standpoint what the heck he’s already received some favorable publicity out of it and that’s all he’s really after.

Comment by Promises Blagojevich Style Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 1:13 pm
Anon:
I’m interested in what sort of life safety items were not approved in your district.

I’ve seen everything from interior redecorating to air conditioning approved. OF course, most of what I’ve seen is in Cook County where Bob Ingraffia is the Regional Super, and everything there gets approved short of remodelling the school Board’s homes.

As far as professional liability, often the condition that requires “repair” is a matter of subjectivity, and certainly not a matter for professional discipline.

You’re right about some limitations on the amount to be borrowed. Most districts of which I am familiar are able to borrow between 15 and 20% of their real estate tax receipts, bill the taxpayers for the full repayment of the bonds for that funding every year, and keep this going through perpetuity.

By the way, anything even remotely classifying as “crumbling” or “unsafe” will never have a problem being approved in ANY region of the state.

If a district hasn’t “maxed out its credit card” giving end of career raises and fattening admin pocketbooks, most have some room for really necessary repairs.

Comment by PalosParkBob Tuesday, Sep 5, 06 @ 1:14 pm
well it looks like the 5 million that was bonded to rochester school dist is not there. rochester was number one this list,but did rod come through ….. no well heck he does not like to come around the springfield area. so to get votes from down south he gives them money,yet rochester has been waiting for him to cut the check for our school.just like he said he would not balance the budget on the backs of state workers,oh wait it was changed to the backs of the working people of il. ok that is good in the world of make belive.but you know what…. next time you see a state correctional officer tell them that they are doing a good job ,cause they might not be around . love how the gov keeps his state workers safe

Comment by no money for you...... Wednesday, Sep 6, 06 @ 8:28 pm