All About Illinois Education

About What Has Happened To Illinois Education

TEACHERS, WONDERING WHY YOUR POSITION HAS BEEN CUT? PARENTS, WONDER WHY CURRICULUM HAS CHANGED?  YOU CAN THANK SOME OF YOUR LEGISLATORS. LEARN ALL ABOUT IT HERE!

IN 2010-2012 THE STATE CUT OVER $500-MILLION TO EDUCATION

Under our State Reps., like Jack McGuire and Larry Walsh Jr. (D-IL District 86), education spending was cut by over $500-Million, all while each year's total state government spending exceeded the last.

Sunshine Review reported regarding the 2013 state budget (which was approved in 2012 and we are currently spending), that: "K-12 education lost $210 Million in state funding/spending."

According to a 11/27/12 education report:  "The State of Illinois faces another budget crisis and severe cuts are on their way. Outside experts agree that Illinois is falling behind. Illinois already ranks dead last in the nation in the amount of school funding provided by state revenues according to a recent NEA study.  The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability finds that states provide an average of 51% of the funds for education. Illinois provides only 30%."

Democrats in the General Assembly voted YES to reduce funds for education. SB2461.  In fact, on 3/29/12, Former Rep. Jack McGuire voted YES to "kill" college scholarships to children of University employees. The employees must work for minimum of 7 years (and earn LESS than $50k a year) and the child, of the University employee, gets 50% break on the tuition.  Jack McGuire was 1 of only 26 house members that wanted to eliminate this program!  Every other legislator voted YES to keep this scholarship.

 

In addition, a 3/21/12 state education report shows that: "In 2011, the State's continued financial problems led it to be the 2nd worst budget gap in the country.  The State was forced to make spending cuts in all five major categories, including $311 Million in cuts to schooleducation in 2011."

ADD THIS ALL UP ... WHAT IT MEANS ... IS ALMOST $1-BILLION IN REAL AND PROPOSED SPENDING CUTS HAVE (OR WILL) AFFECT EDUCATION OVER THE COURSE OF 3-4 YEARS ... ALL WHILE TOTAL STATE GOVERNMENT SPENDING HAS CONTINUED TO INCREASE YEAR AFTER YEAR!
FACT: APPROVED 2013 BUDGET $33.7-BILLION ... 2014 BUDGET = $35.6 BILLION!

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CUTS

June 4, 2012, as reported:  In the wake of the FY 2013 state budget passed by the General Assembly last week (including a YES vote by Rep. Larry Walsh Jr.), Illinois law enforcement leaders reacted with concern that early childhood education funding was reduced again by $25 million.
 

“This budget continues to dismantle the early childhood education system in Illinois. It is a grave error that leaves a generation of children with significantly reduced access to one of the most effective crime-prevention strategies we know of,” said Channahon Director of Public Safety Joe Pena. Pena is co-chair of the statewide anti-crime organization Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Illinois.
 

The state preschool program, known as Preschool for All, has been cut by $55 million in the Illinois State Board of Education budget over the past three years. The FY 2013 cut brings this total to $80 million in four years.

[As Reported June 5, 2014... "The budget, which still needs Gov. Pat Quinn’s signature, may not restore the $25 million slashed from early childhood education last year, but funding will not be cut further for fiscal year 2014, which begins July 1."]

Since 2009, nearly $80 million has been cut from the Early Childhood Education Block Grant. As a result of the cuts, there are 22,000 fewer early childhood education program slots, Garcia said.
 

What has been said about the so-called 2014 state education spending (as reported by the State Journal Register):

"“They put it back to a level that’s still choking districts like us,” said Darren Root, superintendent of the Auburn School District, which is heavily dependent on state funding because of its comparatively low property tax base. The perception is that it’s equal across-the-board, but it’s not,” he said of the disparity in property tax revenue available to school districts.""

""Riverton faces a similar hardship given its property tax base and will have 34 fewer positions next school year and $2 million less in its budget to offset state funding reductions. Superintendent Tom Mulligan said, even if the legislature decided to fully fund its financial obligation to districts as recommended by the State Board of Education, that number is not sufficient, either."

"“We’re just subject to whatever (lawmakers) decide, and we have to make do,” Root said. That means cutting as many teaching positions this year as the district did last year."

 

While an eliminated position doesn’t necessarily mean a lost job for tenured teachers, the cumulative effect of fewer positions will be deeply felt, superintendents say.

 

“This is not the Ball-Chatham of yesterday,” said Superintendent Carrie Hruby in a letter to district parents earlier this year explaining the need for spending cuts. “Like nearly every school district in Illinois, we are facing unprecedented budgetary burdens directly attributed to the state’s financial problems, not to mention a very slow recovery from the recession.”"

Illinois Issues Blog focused on education spending (or lack of) in March of 2013, reporting that:
"School districts have already eliminated thousands of teaching positions, increased class sizes, delayed facility repairs and so on, all in an effort to reduce expenses,” ISBE Chairman Gery Chico said in a prepared statement. “We cannot expect Illinois to remain competitive in a global economy if we continue to shirk our responsibility to children as our schools struggle to make ends meet.”"

Here's a direct statement from the Illinois State Board of Education:
"The FY13 State General Fund allocation to ISBE totals $6.5 billion, an overall reduction of $861 million (11.6 percent) from FY09 appropriation levels. The state’s education budget has seen more than a dozen items reduced and more than 30 items totally eliminated since FY09."

Continued from the ISBE:
"Statewide, we’ve seen at least 6,400 full time teacher and aide positions cut since FY09 – often meaning larger class sizes and less time for teachers to interact with individual students. Districts have also been forced to slash academic, extracurricular and enrichment activities, from foreign language to sports, art, music and many more programs.


Due to the fiscal crisis, districts and other vendors have received late payments from the state since 2010. As of March 4, 2013 ISBE’s FY13 payment backlog stood at $634.3 million, representing nearly 12 percent of the State’s total backlog. At times during the past few years, ISBE’s portion of the backlog has topped $1 billion."

Some Further ISBE Stats:
"The percent of low-income students went from 42.9 percent in 2009 to 49 percent in 2012. Our students classified as Limited English Proficient has also grown from 8 percent of all students statewide in 2009 to 9.4 percent in 2012. Homeless students are also on the rise, with about 29,000 in November 2010 compared to nearly 36,000 in November 2012."

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LAST COMMENT...
The Council of State Governments reports...
"According to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, at least 19 states cut education funding by more than 5 percent between 2010–11 and 2011–12. Four states—Illinois, Kansas, Texas and Wisconsin—cut spending by 10 percent or more."


QUESTION... With such poor state fiscal management, deeply affecting our children's education, year after year, why are we electing the same politicians (like Larry Walsh Jr. and Pat McGuire) over and over?  Why do you expect different results with the same people (the same "family and friends")? You have a chance to fix this in 2014 and 2016.