IPPC Announcement 3.22.10 schoolfunding

[refbasics]

IPPC Announcement:

The below information was released and encouraged for distribution by IPPC, the umbrella organization for all 34 PTA/PTSA units in school district 204. Contacting a legislator is completely voluntary in nature. A note regarding Scullen PTSA- Scullen PTSA has no plans to take a stand (take a vote) on the various budget related issues. However,we do encourage community members to educate themselves on the issue and share any thoughts directly with the School Board.

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Below please find a statement that you may decide to use in contacting legislators about the anticipated funding cuts per student for the 2010-2011 school year. As you know our district has already had to make adjustments for next school year that have included the elimination of over 145 teacher positions for our students. We will continue to see adjustments in programs and opportunities for our students as this crisis unfolds. IPPC has not taken a formal position on the budget cuts but in the interest of keeping you informed wanted to provide you with a statement you may choose to circulate to your members. We recommend also explaining to your unit that you as a PTA have not taken a formal position on the budget cuts unless you have held a vote. Please encourage people to become educated on the issue before taking a position.



One point that I would like to point out is that the Governor's office is proposing a income tax increase and stating that a portion of these funds will be used to fund education. Please understand that this does not mean that Indian Prairie District 204 will see any funding because of the strength of our communities, schools and high student achievement.


Please also keep in mind in your communications that the per student funding cuts are a completely separate issue from the income tax increase.

Jennifer Streder

IPPC President


IPPC Statement you may choose to circulate:


I respectfully request that you at a minimum maintain education funding at its 2009-2010 level for Indian Prairie School District 204. According to Article 10 of the Illinois Constitution, “A fundamental goal of the People of the State is the educational development of all persons to the limits of their capacities.” And, “The State has the primary responsibility for financing the system of public education.”

In 2000, the State funded 26% of Indian Prairie School District 204’s budget. Today, the State funds only 14.7% of our budget. For this school year alone, the decrease in percent of funding since 2000 translates into a $30 million shift in education financing responsibility from the State to District 204 taxpayers.

Clearly, the State is not fulfilling its constitutional obligation of “primary responsibility for financing the system of public education” by further cutting funding to Indian Prairie School District 204. During this time of difficult budget decisions, I respectfully request that the Illinois Constitution guide the State’s allocation of its limited resources. Budget cuts should first and foremost be made to areas not defined in the fundamentals responsibilities of the Illinois Constitution.


The link to the contact information for our Representatives from IPSD website: www.ipsd.org/Uploads/news_27905_1.pdf

The link to the Illinois State Budget Website Comments page (you must read both the Budget Basics and FAQ's before submitting your opinion):
www2.illinois.gov/budget/Pages/Suggest.aspx
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RAH! RAH! RAH!......... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz (snooze)

[Arch]

Dear IPPC. I think you're being played and used.

I'd want to cry a river if our budget was the same in 2000 that it is today.. but it's not... so if the state's percentage of that total shrinks overall, that is expected... since we've been giving out raises and hiring more people and spending more money annually than we were 10 years ago.

So, why is the percentage drop even a big deal, except to some clueless people who don't understand that simple concept... ?


Example to illustrate this point (as an example):

Y2K: Budget $100,000, state funds $10,000 (10%)
2010 : Budget $200,000, state funds $15,000 (7.5%)

OH BOO HOO!!!!!!! Um... No.. not really... you can have state funding GO UP but the percentage of the budget it represents GOES DOWN because the budget INCREASED.


So, has the ACTUAL DOLLAR AMOUNT of the state funding gone down since then, or just the percentage?

[lacy]

Why the difference at Scullen?

[Arch]

Dear Jennifer and PTA folks,

I remember a couple years ago people making a stink about certain legislation that would shift more funding responsibility towards Springfield (via more taxes) and people around here were up in arms about it insisting that it should stay as locally funded as possible.

Why all the flip-flopping???

[lacy]

February 2006 - Boundary "wars":
================================

But Brookdale parents asked why they should support a referendum if their children would only know about 80 other students out of about 3,000 others at Waubonsie?

"There's a chance that for an entire day she might not know anyone," said parent Jennifer Streder of her daughter, who would be first class affected. "When you're asking me to say yes to the referendum, you're asking me to throw her into that situation."
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Hmmm... I thought I had heard that name before ....

Once they got the ticket to the shiny new school, everything was grand. Let them fund the difference! Can we get that money back we paid to expedite their school??

This woman is representing ALL the PTA's? Good heavens, can we get someone who thinks about the whole district?

[warriordiva]

We had someone who did (Robin Church), and all she did was get grief for it. She even called for Metzger to step down and all she got was the district pta telling her that she was out of line. They are very good at squelching the opposition.

[brant]

Mar 22, 2010 19:47:53 GMT -6 lacy said:

February 2006 - Boundary "wars":
================================

But Brookdale parents asked why they should support a referendum if their children would only know about 80 other students out of about 3,000 others at Waubonsie?

"There's a chance that for an entire day she might not know anyone," said parent Jennifer Streder of her daughter, who would be first class affected. "When you're asking me to say yes to the referendum, you're asking me to throw her into that situation."
==================================================

Hmmm... I thought I had heard that name before ....

Once they got the ticket to the shiny new school, everything was grand. Let them fund the difference! Can we get that money back we paid to expedite their school??

This woman is representing ALL the PTA's? Good heavens, can we get someone who thinks about the whole district?

Streder and Brookdale never gave a damn about the district. Now that their former school WV is in danger of possibly closing do you think they will give a rip about the school they so defended during the boundary wars? They will be the first ones to call for WVs closing on the grounds we can not afford it. Oh and I am sure former PTA president SR now on the SB is in lock step with Streder and company.

[doctorwho]

Mar 22, 2010 20:27:11 GMT -6 warriordiva said:

We had someone who did (Robin Church), and all she did was get grief for it. She even called for Metzger to step down and all she got was the district pta telling her that she was out of line. They are very good at squelching the opposition.

yes indeed-- also Robin was down in Springfield for the hearings on the Gregory situation because she cared about the good of the district as a whole. I know because I was there also with another former PTSA president.. the problemn as you notice is these are people 'formerly ' heavily involved - replaced by a PAC group

Many of the current crew were are tied to tightly to the current SB leaders and SD admin because they were given what they wanted - shiny new school for themselves - in exchange for political type activities and spouting the party line no matter what - you'll find them on certain blogs / editorial writing for the papers and generating strings of emails trashing some of the candidate last election while drumming up votes for M2 puppets without nearly the financial acumen needed in today's crisis -- an example of Chicago type politics at it's best.

look in a lot of those closets and you'll find their used orange t-shirt and 204tk manuals and Option 6 maps.

[doctorwho]

Mar 22, 2010 19:39:50 GMT -6 Arch said:

Dear Jennifer and PTA folks,

I remember a couple years ago people making a stink about certain legislation that would shift more funding responsibility towards Springfield (via more taxes) and people around here were up in arms about it insisting that it should stay as locally funded as possible.

Why all the flip-flopping???

She's part of the group famous for flip flopping -- you know -- 3rd HS - NO! No signs all thru the area there- orange shirt marches -trying to throw Gombert under the bus -- then amazingly once school was moved to their back yard ( just like their Es and MS)- it was a brilliant idea