Post by title1parent on Aug 11, 2009 5:54:33 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/1710135,2_1_AU11_BILL_S1-090811.article
School funding regained
August 11, 2009
By ERIKA WURST ewurst@scn1.com
Referendum promises will continue to be kept on the Aurora's West Side, thanks to a bill signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn to eliminate state aid penalties for districts that passed operating referendums.
West Aurora administrators are expecting that Senate Bill 2051 will pump an estimated $8 million back into the district this year. These funds come at a time when delayed state payments and reductions in both federal and state grants have placed financial strains on the district.
Under the old system, once a district passed a referendum to increase its property tax rate, the state reduced state aid to that district by a significant amount.
District spokesman Mike Chapin said in West Aurora the new law will allow the district to continue to upgrade the schools, as officials promised taxpayers when they passed a 2006 operating rate referendum.
"It allows us to continue to buy better books and curriculum materials, train our teachers, and continue to upgrade safety and security," Chapin said.
When school started last year, Chapin began lobbying to dismiss the funding penalty. Residents, alumni and local legislators rallied around the cause. Districts from Oak Park to Southern Illinois understood the benefit of the bill, and hoped Quinn would as well.
The 2009-2010 school year was the first in which West would have seen a state aid penalty because of the referendum. The law now prohibits the penalty against West Aurora for the next three years.
Chapin said about a decade ago when lawmakers amended the school funding laws, they penalized districts that passed operating rate referendums. For years, people have been trying to address the issue.
"Nobody thought we could do this," Chapin said. "This shows me that citizen engagement -- from the local level all the way through the lawmaking process in Springfield -- has worked. It's a real success story for the people who stepped up and talked to their legislators."
Chapin said the last time the district received such positive public outreach was when trying to pass the district's 2006 operating referendum.
"The same caring people got us a law passed," he said. "Our community contributed greatly, and it's an amazing confirmation that education is important to our communities and that people believe in us."
Chapin said referendum sales pitches will also be more lucrative now that taxpayers can have confidence that the additional money will go directly to their districts.
"What's great is that the promises we made we can continue to keep, even with the economic downturn," he said.
"We still had to close a school and lay off about 160 teachers, but we can still get in line to survive."
comment at beaconnewsonline.com
School funding regained
August 11, 2009
By ERIKA WURST ewurst@scn1.com
Referendum promises will continue to be kept on the Aurora's West Side, thanks to a bill signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn to eliminate state aid penalties for districts that passed operating referendums.
West Aurora administrators are expecting that Senate Bill 2051 will pump an estimated $8 million back into the district this year. These funds come at a time when delayed state payments and reductions in both federal and state grants have placed financial strains on the district.
Under the old system, once a district passed a referendum to increase its property tax rate, the state reduced state aid to that district by a significant amount.
District spokesman Mike Chapin said in West Aurora the new law will allow the district to continue to upgrade the schools, as officials promised taxpayers when they passed a 2006 operating rate referendum.
"It allows us to continue to buy better books and curriculum materials, train our teachers, and continue to upgrade safety and security," Chapin said.
When school started last year, Chapin began lobbying to dismiss the funding penalty. Residents, alumni and local legislators rallied around the cause. Districts from Oak Park to Southern Illinois understood the benefit of the bill, and hoped Quinn would as well.
The 2009-2010 school year was the first in which West would have seen a state aid penalty because of the referendum. The law now prohibits the penalty against West Aurora for the next three years.
Chapin said about a decade ago when lawmakers amended the school funding laws, they penalized districts that passed operating rate referendums. For years, people have been trying to address the issue.
"Nobody thought we could do this," Chapin said. "This shows me that citizen engagement -- from the local level all the way through the lawmaking process in Springfield -- has worked. It's a real success story for the people who stepped up and talked to their legislators."
Chapin said the last time the district received such positive public outreach was when trying to pass the district's 2006 operating referendum.
"The same caring people got us a law passed," he said. "Our community contributed greatly, and it's an amazing confirmation that education is important to our communities and that people believe in us."
Chapin said referendum sales pitches will also be more lucrative now that taxpayers can have confidence that the additional money will go directly to their districts.
"What's great is that the promises we made we can continue to keep, even with the economic downturn," he said.
"We still had to close a school and lay off about 160 teachers, but we can still get in line to survive."
comment at beaconnewsonline.com