Post by macrockett on Mar 27, 2010 21:15:30 GMT -6
Hello Sun Times, D204 ...don't forget us! $12 mill...Spot #3
www.suntimes.com/news/education/2126210,CST-NWS-skuls28.article#
'Devastating' layoffs loom in school districts statewide
FUNDING CRISIS | Thousands of teachers, other staffers hit; total could top 20,000
Comments
March 27, 2010
BY MAUDLYNE IHEJIRIKA Staff Reporter mihejirika@suntimes.com
There's a tidal wave coming.
And it's about to affect your kids.
HOW MUCH OWED TO DISTRICTS
School districts that are owed the most money by the state
District Million
1. Chicago Public Schools District 299 $255
2. Elgin School District Unit 46 $12.2
3. Thornton Twp. High Schools District 205 $9.6
4. Rockford Public School District 205 $9.6
5. Bloom Township High School District 206 $8.9
6. Worth School District 127 $8.7
7. Maine Township High School District 207 $7.9
8. Plainfield Consolidated School District 202 $7.6
9. Wheeling Township High School District 214 $7.5
10. Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 $6.8
SOURCE: Illinois State Comptroller
Dave McKinney
In recent weeks, state education funding woes have triggered a tsunami of pink slips to thousands upon thousands of teachers and support staff in school districts statewide, with about 9,800 announced layoffs of teachers so far.
Another 1,600 retiring teachers won't be replaced.
Total planned layoffs stand at more than 17,000 school personnel. And that's with just 75 percent of districts responding to a survey sent by a coalition of education groups. When all is said and done, school layoffs statewide could top 20,000, the coalition warns.
"What looms this school year is devastating for all of Illinois. It's going to significantly diminish the quality of education throughout the state," said Charlie McBarron, spokesman for the Illinois Education Association.
"And in an economic crisis, the worst thing you can do is put thousands and thousands of people into unemployment. The General Assembly has to do something significant. They've got to do it now."
Facing a void of aid from a cash-strapped state government woefully behind on paying its 2009-2010 bills -- and eyeing further budget cuts in 2010-2011 -- districts such as the Chicago Public Schools are drastically plugging holes that may only get bigger. By law, the districts must inform staff of proposed layoffs for next year in the spring.
CPS is owed the most money from the state: $255 million. CPS is targeting 3,200 teachers and 880 others for layoffs. Northwest suburban Elgin, the second-largest district -- owed $12 million -- is proposing 1,079 layoffs.
And as federal stimulus dollars dry up, only an infusion of state cash -- such as through a state income tax increase urged by education groups and Gov. Quinn -- would prevent the cuts.
It's not just traditionally poor districts jettisoning staff and programs. North suburban Park Ridge's Maine Township High School District 207, for example, is axing 75 teachers; Evanston-Skokie School District 65 plans to lay off 29 teachers. Naperville's Indian Prairie School District 204 has targeted 145 staff.
"We keep looking at our immediate crisis, and it is a crisis, but there is a bigger issue with our school funding formula," said Herman Brewer, acting president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, which has long condemned the inequities of a school finance system based on property taxes.
"These folks who have known nothing but prosperity are now in shock because all of a sudden the crisis they have generally associated with poor communities -- with the city of Chicago -- has hit them," Brewer said. "Our funding formula has created disparities so acute, people are starting to see it now."
The red ink bleeding districts of teachers will also burden those left with more students in each class. CPS would hike class sizes as high as 37 students; west suburban Cary Elementary School District 26 would increase classes to 33, and Kankakee School District 111 would go as high as 30.
Along similar lines, Plainfield's Community Consolidated School District 202 is eyeing multi-age classrooms combining two grades.
But the problems won't be limited to job losses and less instruction time in crammed classrooms.
"The situation is far worse when we factor in elimination and reduction of hundreds of programs in sports and music and school activities," said Brent Clark, executive director of the Illinois Association of School Administrators.
Indeed, districts such as west suburban Morton High School District 201 are axing athletics and student activities. CPS has targeted non-varsity sports. Elgin has cut teams and shut down swimming pools.
Other districts, like Queen Bee District 16 in southwest suburban Glendale Heights and Somonauk Community Unit School District 432 in the south suburbs, have wiped out art and music programs.
Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 is getting rid of band for fifth-graders. In Cary, it's gifted programs. In Kankakee, bilingual ed and reading programs will go. And CPS is taking the knife to pre-school.
"It's really ugly out there right now," said Lisa Scruggs of Jenner & Block, lead attorney on a civil rights lawsuit the Urban League filed last year, charging the school funding system is discriminatory. Most funds come from local property taxes; only 28 percent come from the state. "You're guaranteeing failure when you make these kinds of choices."
Some districts have averted draconian cuts through successful appeals to labor unions.
In Gurnee, teachers agreed to freeze compensation for some positions to save 26 jobs. Teachers in south suburban Homewood School District 153 and southwest suburban Wheaton-Warrenville Unit District 200 also made concessions.
The Chicago Teachers Union, however, refuses to reopen its contract to help fill a projected $700 million deficit. And Maine Township teachers rejected concessions that would have saved 45 jobs.
Students and parents haven't taken the cuts lying down, launching protests at schools from Chicago to Glendale Heights. On Friday, students at north suburban Waukegan High staged a walkout. Waukegan Community School District 60 is owed $6.8 million from the state and is laying off 560 staff. Parents must do more, say education groups urging a massive onslaught on state legislators.
"There's no question that in Chicago, in Elgin, in East St. Louis, in Thornton, minorities are more severely impacted by the cuts that are taking place," said Scruggs, who expects to take the suit to trial this fall. "The New Triers of the world have reserves they can dip into to make sure kids continue to get services. Too many districts don't. It comes back to the funding formula."
www.suntimes.com/news/education/2126210,CST-NWS-skuls28.article#
'Devastating' layoffs loom in school districts statewide
FUNDING CRISIS | Thousands of teachers, other staffers hit; total could top 20,000
Comments
March 27, 2010
BY MAUDLYNE IHEJIRIKA Staff Reporter mihejirika@suntimes.com
There's a tidal wave coming.
And it's about to affect your kids.
HOW MUCH OWED TO DISTRICTS
School districts that are owed the most money by the state
District Million
1. Chicago Public Schools District 299 $255
2. Elgin School District Unit 46 $12.2
3. Thornton Twp. High Schools District 205 $9.6
4. Rockford Public School District 205 $9.6
5. Bloom Township High School District 206 $8.9
6. Worth School District 127 $8.7
7. Maine Township High School District 207 $7.9
8. Plainfield Consolidated School District 202 $7.6
9. Wheeling Township High School District 214 $7.5
10. Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 $6.8
SOURCE: Illinois State Comptroller
Dave McKinney
In recent weeks, state education funding woes have triggered a tsunami of pink slips to thousands upon thousands of teachers and support staff in school districts statewide, with about 9,800 announced layoffs of teachers so far.
Another 1,600 retiring teachers won't be replaced.
Total planned layoffs stand at more than 17,000 school personnel. And that's with just 75 percent of districts responding to a survey sent by a coalition of education groups. When all is said and done, school layoffs statewide could top 20,000, the coalition warns.
"What looms this school year is devastating for all of Illinois. It's going to significantly diminish the quality of education throughout the state," said Charlie McBarron, spokesman for the Illinois Education Association.
"And in an economic crisis, the worst thing you can do is put thousands and thousands of people into unemployment. The General Assembly has to do something significant. They've got to do it now."
Facing a void of aid from a cash-strapped state government woefully behind on paying its 2009-2010 bills -- and eyeing further budget cuts in 2010-2011 -- districts such as the Chicago Public Schools are drastically plugging holes that may only get bigger. By law, the districts must inform staff of proposed layoffs for next year in the spring.
CPS is owed the most money from the state: $255 million. CPS is targeting 3,200 teachers and 880 others for layoffs. Northwest suburban Elgin, the second-largest district -- owed $12 million -- is proposing 1,079 layoffs.
And as federal stimulus dollars dry up, only an infusion of state cash -- such as through a state income tax increase urged by education groups and Gov. Quinn -- would prevent the cuts.
It's not just traditionally poor districts jettisoning staff and programs. North suburban Park Ridge's Maine Township High School District 207, for example, is axing 75 teachers; Evanston-Skokie School District 65 plans to lay off 29 teachers. Naperville's Indian Prairie School District 204 has targeted 145 staff.
"We keep looking at our immediate crisis, and it is a crisis, but there is a bigger issue with our school funding formula," said Herman Brewer, acting president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, which has long condemned the inequities of a school finance system based on property taxes.
"These folks who have known nothing but prosperity are now in shock because all of a sudden the crisis they have generally associated with poor communities -- with the city of Chicago -- has hit them," Brewer said. "Our funding formula has created disparities so acute, people are starting to see it now."
The red ink bleeding districts of teachers will also burden those left with more students in each class. CPS would hike class sizes as high as 37 students; west suburban Cary Elementary School District 26 would increase classes to 33, and Kankakee School District 111 would go as high as 30.
Along similar lines, Plainfield's Community Consolidated School District 202 is eyeing multi-age classrooms combining two grades.
But the problems won't be limited to job losses and less instruction time in crammed classrooms.
"The situation is far worse when we factor in elimination and reduction of hundreds of programs in sports and music and school activities," said Brent Clark, executive director of the Illinois Association of School Administrators.
Indeed, districts such as west suburban Morton High School District 201 are axing athletics and student activities. CPS has targeted non-varsity sports. Elgin has cut teams and shut down swimming pools.
Other districts, like Queen Bee District 16 in southwest suburban Glendale Heights and Somonauk Community Unit School District 432 in the south suburbs, have wiped out art and music programs.
Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 is getting rid of band for fifth-graders. In Cary, it's gifted programs. In Kankakee, bilingual ed and reading programs will go. And CPS is taking the knife to pre-school.
"It's really ugly out there right now," said Lisa Scruggs of Jenner & Block, lead attorney on a civil rights lawsuit the Urban League filed last year, charging the school funding system is discriminatory. Most funds come from local property taxes; only 28 percent come from the state. "You're guaranteeing failure when you make these kinds of choices."
Some districts have averted draconian cuts through successful appeals to labor unions.
In Gurnee, teachers agreed to freeze compensation for some positions to save 26 jobs. Teachers in south suburban Homewood School District 153 and southwest suburban Wheaton-Warrenville Unit District 200 also made concessions.
The Chicago Teachers Union, however, refuses to reopen its contract to help fill a projected $700 million deficit. And Maine Township teachers rejected concessions that would have saved 45 jobs.
Students and parents haven't taken the cuts lying down, launching protests at schools from Chicago to Glendale Heights. On Friday, students at north suburban Waukegan High staged a walkout. Waukegan Community School District 60 is owed $6.8 million from the state and is laying off 560 staff. Parents must do more, say education groups urging a massive onslaught on state legislators.
"There's no question that in Chicago, in Elgin, in East St. Louis, in Thornton, minorities are more severely impacted by the cuts that are taking place," said Scruggs, who expects to take the suit to trial this fall. "The New Triers of the world have reserves they can dip into to make sure kids continue to get services. Too many districts don't. It comes back to the funding formula."
our taxes to make up for it??