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Post by wvhsparent on Feb 10, 2010 18:29:57 GMT -5
Dear District 204 Community,
In December, I wrote to tell you about the impact of our state's economic crisis. The January 21 issue of Forbes magazine ranked Illinois at the bottom in the nation for its financial troubles. With state funding being our second largest revenue source, the state's financial crisis strongly impacts our budget. Simply put, if schools are not funded, education will not be delivered in the way we have become accustomed to in our district.
According to the Illinois Constitution, "the state has the primary responsibility for financing the system of public education." Not only has the state failed to fulfill its responsibility, it has shifted the education funding burden to our local taxpayers. For perspective, in 2010 the state is estimated to fund only 9 percent of our budget compared to 25.6 percent in state funding received in 2000.
We have addressed a projected $9.2 million deficit for next year, but continued uncertainties in Springfield have us working on a plan to cut deeper if needed. In January, the State Board of Education recommended to legislators that education funding remain the same for next year. While we support this recommendation, it will be challenging for the state to provide the same dollars to school districts.
The state's $13 billion debt is so substantial that it may be forced to reduce financial support for school districts. That means our district is facing possibly $14 to $20 million in additional budget cuts, and some of those cuts will be very difficult. Until now, we have prioritized cuts that stay away from the classroom, but as deeper cuts are needed, that will be impossible.
Compounding the problem is the fact that the state is currently $7,834,215 behind in this year's funding to the district, with no news from local legislators as to when, and even if, that funding will ever be provided.
We must take a realistic look at what we will be forced to do if state funding decreases in the way many are predicting. One thing we are already planning to do is a non-renewal of non-tenured teachers. Per Illinois School Code, we have to notify these teachers in March that they will be released from employment for the following year. We are working to determine the number of teachers this release will include. We will need to make additional reductions beyond staffing in order to make up for the state's shortfall.
These uncertain financial times are difficult for all of us. I'm asking for your help in contacting officials in Springfield to let them know they need to meet their commitment to our students' education. They also need to know the devastating impact that decreased state funding will have on education. A list of officials and their contact information is available at Springfield Contact Information
If you would like to view the budget presentation from December, it is online at Budget Presentation SLIDES and Budget Presentation VIDEO.
Sincerely, Kathy Birkett Superintendent
I wonder if there is anyway the school districts of the State could band together and bring a class action suit against the State........School funding should be the priority
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Post by brant on Feb 11, 2010 8:46:53 GMT -5
From the Beacon
State set to cut funding for schools
February 11, 2010
By PAUL DAILING pdailing@stmedianetwork.com Current negotiations in Springfield could result in 10 percent cuts to the state's school funding foundation level, meaning millions less in state aid to local schools.
State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, an Aurora Democrat who chairs the Elementary and Secondary Education Appropriations Committee, said this week the state budget crisis will likely affect general state aid, lately the only consistent funding source from Springfield to local schools.
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Estimated funding loss
The approximate amounts local schools would lose if the state cuts its foundation school funding level by 10 percent: East Aurora: $7.1 million West Aurora: $6.8 million
Batavia: $339,000
Geneva: $319,000
Hinckley-Big Rock: $51,000
Indian Prairie: $16.6 million
Kaneland: $1.4 million
Newark: $19,000
Newark High School: $11,000
Oswego: $8.6 million
Plano: $1.3 million
Sandwich: $1.5 million
Somonauk: $592,000
St. Charles: $732,000
Yorkville: $265,000
Based on 2009-2010 ISBE General State Aid Entitlements "This has turned from the Mississippi to the Grand Canyon sort of thing," Chapa LaVia said of the funding gulch.
While the state has stopped and started other payments to the schools during its current budget crisis, general state aid was the only part that continued uninterrupted.
If Chapa LaVia is correct, that could change next year.
"It looks like we're coming to some huge drops in general state aid," Chapa LaVia said. "It's looking like anywhere from $600 to $700 per-pupil drop."
By law, districts must announce possible layoffs for the next school year by next month. Budget predictions so far have been based on the Illinois State Board of Education's proposed budget, which kept the foundation level the same. Chapa LaVia, however, is predicting a 10 percent cut for schools.
"That just pulled the rug out from us and every other district," West Aurora School District spokesman Mike Chapin said. "We were marching forward under the assumption that the foundation level was the same."
And the poorer the school district, the more this will hurt.
Cut hurts poor most One use of the school funding foundation level is to break districts into three groups based on an area's wealth. In the bottom two groups -- where all the Fox Valley's schools fall -- the number is popped into complicated formulas that come up with the dollar amount a district gets for each student. Poorer districts get more per student.
The wealthiest group, which includes the Barrington and New Trier schools, gets a flat per-student fee.
So if all other factors remain the same as last year, a 10 percent reduction in the foundation level could cut more than $7.1 million from the low-income East Aurora School District's state aid, but only $732,000 from St. Charles schools.
Locally, St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia and Yorkville fall in this middle group. The rest are "foundation level" districts, a group that includes the lion's share of Illinois' 871 school districts, State Board spokesman Mary Fergus said.
"It's not going to be fun, but it's not going to be the crisis it is for some of the 'foundation level' schools," Batavia Assistant Superintendent for Finance Kris Monn said.
A 10 percent cut would push four local districts -- Kaneland, Indian Prairie, Hinckley-Big Rock and Newark -- from that "foundation level" group into the middle group, where they'll get even less money.
Waiting to see A cut to general state aid isn't the only part of school funding bracing for a hit. By and large, schools get their money from two sources -- the state and local property taxes. The economy already has smacked down local property taxes.
School Superintendent Laurel Walker said the Plano School District was already looking at cuts in everything from staff to textbooks. The current estimate is they could save $400,000 from next year's budget by not updating technology, buildings, maintenance and textbooks. Another $300,000 could be saved by not replacing retiring employees.
But the cut Chapa LaVia fears would take another $1.3 million away from Plano's state funds.
"We would have to look at more cuts if that comes true," Walker said.
East Aurora, which got 45 percent of its budget from general state aid last year, is waiting for an official decision by the Legislature before it announces additional cuts.
"Once there's a decision made by the state, we'll make decisions accordingly," district spokesman Clayton Muhammad said. ____________________________________________________ Hey this is great!! This way we will all be a bunch of uneducated idiots and our politicians such as Ryan,Blago and Daley can keep stealing from us and we won't know any better!! The future looks great for us Americans!!! Don't try and raise our level of education allowing us to compete with the rest of the world instead take some away!!
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Post by brant on Feb 11, 2010 8:47:46 GMT -5
We are screwed. Look for at least two schools in the district to close in the next few years.
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Post by gatordog on Feb 11, 2010 8:48:40 GMT -5
Just to put some scale to the deficit reduction
the Plainfield SD is looking at eliiminating 222 teaching, administrative and support staff positions to save about $10 million.
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Post by wvhsparent on Feb 11, 2010 10:09:33 GMT -5
That is why stop the negotiations with those goofs and threaten to bring a class action suit make education the #1 funding priority........everything else only after schools are properly funded - including legislator salaries. I hate to say this because I know there will then be legal fees which could go to the schools, but it's reached a point that the IL General Assembly needs to be reminded what the IL Constitution states and hold them to it. If anyone else has a solution or suggestion, I'd love to hear it.......
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Post by gatordog on Feb 11, 2010 12:51:22 GMT -5
..... but it's reached a point that the IL General Assembly needs to be reminded what the IL Constitution states and hold them to it. ....... I think this is a great idea. Yes, political pressure (people calling reps) is indeed one thing. But, also, constitutional-legal pressure is another. I understand a literal court-approach would take a while to play out of course. And the political pressure can occur much faster. I think getting the wheels turning on such a lawsuit would be a good course of action. If nothing else, when we contact our representatives---- the current lawmakers-- we can insist that they follow laws already made. I am not a lawyer, but just to a general citizen such as myself, the states "primary responsibility for financing the system of public education" means it should come at the top of the list (with things like public safety and health).
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Post by gatordog on Feb 12, 2010 8:46:50 GMT -5
Just to make a guess if ADK were eliminated as a cost-savings:
Say 2000 K students, assume 25 per class. Say 80 Teachers. And equal number of aides. Then 160 employees. (maybe more even?)
If half day, you would only need half the number of staff. So 160/2=80.
Based on Plainfield's rate of $10 mil saved with 222 jobs cut, then this would save about $3.6 mil
I think this was the scale of what SD said ADK was going to cost, I exactly dont remember, and of course be accounted for with the incr of state funds. I recognized this hits hard one very specific group of school employes.
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