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Hundreds of school chiefs demand a budget

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Without a state budget, School District U46 cannot keep classrooms running beyond Thanksgiving, CEO Tony Sanders said Monday.

The district’s top administrator went on his Facebook and Twitter pages Monday as part of a statewide movement imploring parents and others to pressure state legislators to negotiate and pass what hasn’t been done in two years. […]

According to Sanders, the state’s second-largest school district has halted all discretionary spending for the school year, such as travel and technology upgrades. The district has stopped between $3 million and $4 million purchases of new computers to both replace outdated devices and continue moving the district to having one device per student.

But it isn’t enough to offset the lack of state dollars. The district will be $12 million in the red at the end of this school year. Reserves cannot sustain cash withdrawals for much longer, Sanders said via phone Monday.

* From a press release…

School District U-46 CEO Tony Sanders and more than 390 school chiefs from across the state, representing 1.3 million students, are calling on the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor to immediately pass a state budget. The grassroots initiative, called “Pass Illinois’ Budget!,” also urges lawmakers and the Governor to improve the state’s education funding formula, and pay school districts millions of dollars owed in unpaid bills this year.

As legislators return to Springfield following spring break, school districts are using school marquees to share their frustration with the state budget crisis and taking to social media with a call to #PassILBudget. The state now owes School District U-46 more than $25 million, and has been operating without a full budget for the past 22 months. […]

The superintendents are calling on members of the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor to do the following:

● Immediately, and with bipartisan support, end the state budget impasse.

● Improve the state’s education funding formula and invest in students and schools, including higher education, throughout the state.

● Pay school districts what they are owed this year.

* My mom sent me a link to Tuscola’s sign…

They’re probably gonna need to get harsher and a whole lot more specific about who is to blame if they want to crank up some real heat.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 11:57 am

Comments

I disagree with your last assertion. The closer they get to the line of assigning blame, the quicker they will lose sympathy and be placed in the “political” bucket.

Comment by hot chocolate Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 11:58 am
===They’re probably gonna need to get harsher and a whole lot more specific about who is to blame if they want to crank up some real heat.===

Absolutely right. Term limits might get job creators excited, except if those job creators happen to be school districts, social service providers, or state universities. Them, not so much.

Comment by PublicServant Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 12:05 pm
Administrators tried to get it all: (1) money and (2) complete freedom in SB 1 and HB 2808 to spend the State money in any way that they wanted to spend it.

What did they get? Almost no State payment of categorical grants, and gridlock in Springfield.

Comment by winners and losers Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 12:05 pm
Leave it to the Courier-News (a Tribune product) to not bother to mention Gov. Rauner’s culpability.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 12:08 pm
Pass a budget and while you are at it, drop drivers ed and high school PE. While your at it, cap sports AD positions and make part time.

Comment by blue dog dem Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 12:12 pm
Instead of holding parents and students hostage, why not accept that the funding will be lower and do everything in the districts power and plan to cut any and all programs except the actual instruction hours ?

Comment by T Sowell Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 12:16 pm
It’s prom time, so my local HS usually displays a crushed car to remind kids not to drink and drive. Perhaps they can us that same car to explain state funding.

Comment by City Zen Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 12:34 pm
That’s my alma matter, I went on their FB site, unfortunately most of the comments are basically “Because Madigan.”

Comment by Gruntled University Employee Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 12:36 pm
Does Rauner answer to working and middle class parents, students, and teachers? No.

Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 12:38 pm
I live near Lane Tech, a CPS magnet high school. Their electronic sign has a message that fully blames Gov. Rauner for education funding problems.

Comment by Lakeview Dude Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 12:39 pm
There are so many mandates that schools MUST abide by - dozens passed just in the past few years. Cutting programs & staff has been going on for several years already. However, if you cut fine arts, sports, etc. you WILL lose students. BTW: which districts seem to be in trouble the most? Answer: IMHO, the large ones in the state. Sure, let’s consolidate more - that’s really worked well.

Comment by Interim Retiree Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 12:43 pm
They are going to have to start saying “bring the income tax back to 5%” if they want to educate median voters who want to fully fund schools and lower taxes.

Comment by Dan Johnson Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 12:46 pm
It would be helpful to have some basic facts, such as how much are districts still owed for the current year.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 12:48 pm
“That’s my alma matter, I went on their FB site, unfortunately most of the comments are basically “Because Madigan.” - It has been under Madigan that school funding from the Sate started to diminish and he has been the Speaker who knew all about the pension debt that would eventually bite the State and the taxpayers in the butt.

Comment by Stand Tall Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 12:56 pm
wordslinger- These sites might help, especially the deficit spending site (2nd link)

https://www.isbe.net/Pages/School-District-Financial-Profile.aspx

https://www.isbe.net/Documents/2017-Budgets-Deficit-Spending.pdf

https://www.isbe.net/Documents/2017-School-District-Financial-Profile-Report%20.pdf

Comment by Anon221 Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 1:00 pm
Just today school districts in Illinois received from the state the very first of the Mandated Categorical (MCAT) dollars for the 2016-2017 school year. This was supposed to be sent to the schools by the end of September 2016. Two other payments (December and March) have yet to be received by school districts. I realize that many, many, other entities have not received state money owed to them for even longer periods of time.

Comment by East Central Illinois Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 1:11 pm
I am not sure what happened but the comments above are not what I entered. What I meant to say is, “With respect to Anon221 links to the budget deficit spending link, please remember that those figures represent budgeted amounts and not how those budget are actually performing. For example, the district where I live adopted a balanced budget (Positve $71,000) at the beginning of the year with the thought they would receive MCAT payments. They are now in the process of adopting a revised budget of a deficit $266,000.

Comment by East Central Illinois Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 1:19 pm
For those quick to tell school districts to “pass a budget, do THIS or do THAT . . . ” School districts, by state law, must have on public display, a budget for a minimum of 30 days before it can be adopted. This MUST take place before September 30th. The state doesn’t seem to follow this law (major understatement)

Comment by East Central Illinois Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 1:23 pm
OK . . . so it seems someone else with my nickname is also commenting. Sorry

Comment by East Central Illinois Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 1:25 pm
East Central Illinois @ 1:19 pm. Thanks for the clarification.

Comment by Anon221 Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 1:53 pm
Good on them for focusing on legislators, not the Governor. Rauner has made clear that he’ll sign a balanced budget with no conditions. Alternatively, he’ll sign a budget requiring new revenue if the legislature agrees to improve the business climate. They have two options and it’s time for them to pick one.

Comment by Political Animal Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 2:46 pm
===Rauner has made clear that he’ll sign a balanced budget with no conditions.===

That’s not even remotely honest.

Rauner continually says “budgets with reforms”

Ignoring that, you aren’t being honest, even in your comment’s premise.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 2:50 pm
On behalf of social services hostages, I welcome K12 to the fray. Now can we have a budget, please?

Comment by CCP Hostage Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 2:59 pm
Now that Rauner and the GOP opposes any stopgap funding, except for state employees, schools won’t be able to stay open for long without a budget. That may put a little pressure on Republicans, especially some of the downstaters who have districts that rely upon state funding.

Comment by anon2 Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 3:22 pm
http://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/money-woes-for-illinois-schools-turn-allies-into-foes/

Phil Kadner on special education, school funding, and SB 1 and HB 2808.

Comment by winners and losers Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:21 pm
@Interim Retiree:

I don’t know what you’re retired from, but are you aware that Illinois has about 850 school districts? Are you aware of how many of those districts consist of just one building? Are you aware that some districts have fewer than 150 students (Robein, by Peoria; Ludlow, in Champaign County; McClellan, in Jefferson County; just to cite a few examples)? Yet they all have superintendents and elected 7 member school boards.

How many of the districts in the 400 have fewer than 1,000 students? How many of the districts in the 400 have only one building? How many of the districts in the 400 depend on the State for 50% or more of their funding?

It’s not the big districts (especially the unit districts) that are on the ropes, screaming they may not be able to make their May payrolls. It’s mostly the smaller districts who refuse to be rational and consolidate.

Many small districts are another form of “wingnut welfare”. But, hey, local control…

The Better Government Association had a report out within the last month about Illinois school districts. Perhaps Rich could throw in the link to the discussion we had here about the report and its findings.

Comment by Lynn S. Wednesday, Apr 26, 17 @ 10:06 am