Post by gatormom on Jan 5, 2008 5:46:03 GMT -6
School aid again falls victim to politics
John Patterson and Emily Krone
Daily Herald 1/5/08
Promised millions of dollars in extra state funding months ago, school districts across Illinois learned Friday they'll be waiting even longer.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich rejected the plan Friday that would pump an additional $560 million into schools, pointing to what he called a technical flaw and sending it back to lawmakers to fix.
Until they do, schools will lose out on the added funding, instead getting state aid based on 2006-07 figures. For some, the difference shorts them millions.
And school officials, drafting next year's budget without revenue numbers for this year, will remain in limbo.
"We're still in this position where we have a general belief we'll receive additional funding, yet we still don't know," said David Holm, assistant superintendent for business at Indian Prairie Unit District 204 in Aurora.
The district stands to gain an additional $5.4 million if the Springfield budget battles ever subside, but put off hiring new teachers because of the uncertainty.
Even districts with strong cash reserves are beginning to feel the pinch.
"We're extremely lucky … we're not completely reliant on state aid," said Huntley Unit District 158 school board member Tony Quagliano, who heads the school board's finance committee.
District 158 stands to get an additional $1.5 million, according to state estimates.
"But now we're into January, and the reserves start to get depleted a bit, and it starts getting a little bit scarier," Quagliano said.
The legislation includes a $400 increase to the minimum amount the state says must be spent educating each child, raising it to $5,734.
Also included is a $1,000 increase up to $9,000 for the amount the state reimburses school districts for special education teachers. It would be the first increase in more than 20 years.
Lawmakers are due back at the Capitol Wednesday. They can accept the changes, in which case the funding would go through, or they can attempt to override the governor's veto. Both the House and Senate must take the same action. If they can't agree, or if they take no action, then there is no additional money for schools.
Foot-dragging in Springfield already has forced West Aurora Unit District 129 to borrow sooner and more than in previous years.
"We had planned on the increase, so we're falling short on every payment we get," said District 129 Assistant Superintendent for Finance Vickie Nissen. "This fiscal year has been a disaster for the district."
The district will have to borrow $17 million this January to meet its financial obligations, Nissen said. Last year, the district borrowed $7.75 million, and was able to hold off on borrowing until March.
Blagojevich said his veto ultimately would help schools because, as the proposal was written, the higher special education reimbursements wouldn't have begun until July and he wants them to start immediately. But in demanding changes, he stalled the other education funding.
Left unanswered is why it took so long for the governor to take this action. It's been on his desk since Nov. 5. Under the state constitution, the governor has 60 days to act, a deadline that expired at midnight Friday. If he'd done nothing, the provision would have automatically become law.
Abby Ottenhoff, a Blagojevich spokeswoman, said only that it was a technical piece of legislation.
"It's good that we took the time to be thorough in our review, because during the process, we found these issues that could cause problems for schools and the state police if they are not fixed," Ottenhoff said.
But for districts heavily dependent on state aid, the special education reimbursement increase -- which most districts didn't incorporate into this year's budget anyway -- is a secondary concern.
"The special ed reimbursement, that's an issue statewide, but for districts like 129 that greatly depend on general state aid … the timeliness factor greatly, greatly impacts forecasting and budgeting," Nissen said.
Legislative leaders said they were still reviewing the governor's changes.
Steve Brown, a spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat, said this might have been averted if Blagojevich had been more involved in the process, calling it "another example of the governor not engaging and then dawdling."
Meanwhile, schools are growing tired of the political squabbles.
"We feel like the child caught in a divorce," said Cheryl Crates, chief financial officer for Community District 300 in Carpentersville. "The children in our district are being held hostage while the governor and senators and representatives fight."
John Patterson and Emily Krone
Daily Herald 1/5/08
Promised millions of dollars in extra state funding months ago, school districts across Illinois learned Friday they'll be waiting even longer.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich rejected the plan Friday that would pump an additional $560 million into schools, pointing to what he called a technical flaw and sending it back to lawmakers to fix.
Until they do, schools will lose out on the added funding, instead getting state aid based on 2006-07 figures. For some, the difference shorts them millions.
And school officials, drafting next year's budget without revenue numbers for this year, will remain in limbo.
"We're still in this position where we have a general belief we'll receive additional funding, yet we still don't know," said David Holm, assistant superintendent for business at Indian Prairie Unit District 204 in Aurora.
The district stands to gain an additional $5.4 million if the Springfield budget battles ever subside, but put off hiring new teachers because of the uncertainty.
Even districts with strong cash reserves are beginning to feel the pinch.
"We're extremely lucky … we're not completely reliant on state aid," said Huntley Unit District 158 school board member Tony Quagliano, who heads the school board's finance committee.
District 158 stands to get an additional $1.5 million, according to state estimates.
"But now we're into January, and the reserves start to get depleted a bit, and it starts getting a little bit scarier," Quagliano said.
The legislation includes a $400 increase to the minimum amount the state says must be spent educating each child, raising it to $5,734.
Also included is a $1,000 increase up to $9,000 for the amount the state reimburses school districts for special education teachers. It would be the first increase in more than 20 years.
Lawmakers are due back at the Capitol Wednesday. They can accept the changes, in which case the funding would go through, or they can attempt to override the governor's veto. Both the House and Senate must take the same action. If they can't agree, or if they take no action, then there is no additional money for schools.
Foot-dragging in Springfield already has forced West Aurora Unit District 129 to borrow sooner and more than in previous years.
"We had planned on the increase, so we're falling short on every payment we get," said District 129 Assistant Superintendent for Finance Vickie Nissen. "This fiscal year has been a disaster for the district."
The district will have to borrow $17 million this January to meet its financial obligations, Nissen said. Last year, the district borrowed $7.75 million, and was able to hold off on borrowing until March.
Blagojevich said his veto ultimately would help schools because, as the proposal was written, the higher special education reimbursements wouldn't have begun until July and he wants them to start immediately. But in demanding changes, he stalled the other education funding.
Left unanswered is why it took so long for the governor to take this action. It's been on his desk since Nov. 5. Under the state constitution, the governor has 60 days to act, a deadline that expired at midnight Friday. If he'd done nothing, the provision would have automatically become law.
Abby Ottenhoff, a Blagojevich spokeswoman, said only that it was a technical piece of legislation.
"It's good that we took the time to be thorough in our review, because during the process, we found these issues that could cause problems for schools and the state police if they are not fixed," Ottenhoff said.
But for districts heavily dependent on state aid, the special education reimbursement increase -- which most districts didn't incorporate into this year's budget anyway -- is a secondary concern.
"The special ed reimbursement, that's an issue statewide, but for districts like 129 that greatly depend on general state aid … the timeliness factor greatly, greatly impacts forecasting and budgeting," Nissen said.
Legislative leaders said they were still reviewing the governor's changes.
Steve Brown, a spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat, said this might have been averted if Blagojevich had been more involved in the process, calling it "another example of the governor not engaging and then dawdling."
Meanwhile, schools are growing tired of the political squabbles.
"We feel like the child caught in a divorce," said Cheryl Crates, chief financial officer for Community District 300 in Carpentersville. "The children in our district are being held hostage while the governor and senators and representatives fight."
