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Funding frustrations

Vandalia Superintendent of Schools Rich Well spoke about the financial challenges facing the school district – and most downstate districts – during the March meeting of the Vandalia Chamber of Commerce last Wednesday.

“Every district around here is cutting,” Well said. “I can’t change that; only Springfield can change that.
“This year, we’re operating on the same state revenue amounts that we received in 2007. That’s what the state has done to our general state aid.”
Well said that the state is paying district about 89 percent of the money owed it. And some projections indicate that the percentage could drop to 80-82 percent in the fiscal year that starts July 1. He also noted that in the past two years, the district has lost more than $1 million in funding because of state cutbacks.
The loss of General State Aid has disproportionately affected downstate school districts, which generally don’t have the property tax revenue support that is present in the Chicago and collar county areas.
“We’re dependent on General State Aid,” he said. “We’re 60-65 percent state and federally funded. The collar counties don’t care about GSA, because it only represents 5-10 percent of their funding.
“The one chance we have is to get people south of Chicago together. As it is now, the rural schools take a back seat to Chicago.”
To further the financial pinch, the district is seeing a drop in enrollment, which means even less state aid. Currently, the state pays about $6,117 per student per year.
Well said that much of the information about the district’s financial condition is posted on its website: www.vcs.fayette.k12.il.us.
In other business at last week’s chamber meeting President Greg Starnes introduced the organization’s new executive director, Shannon Craycroft. She made several announcements about upcoming activities.
• March 29 is the deadline for chamber scholarship applications. The organization usually awards two $500 scholarships each year. Donations are needed to fully fund those scholarships.
• Jimmy John’s is looking for a franchisee in the Vandalia area.
• More chamber members are being sought to participate in the member-to-member discount program.
• The next Business After- Hours reception will be held from 4-6 p.m. on March 28 at Sen. Kyle McCarter’s new office at 310 W.  Gallatin St. in Vandalia.
Starnes announced that the chamber’s Nite at the Races event has been postponed until fall. Specifics will be released soon.
Coming up on May 24, he said, is the chamber’s annual golf scramble at the Vandalia Country and Golf Club.
He also announced that the organization’s new LED sign unit has arrived and soon will be installed in the sign structure near the chamber office. That new sign will allow more complex messages to be displayed and will cost less to operate than the previous unit, which used incandescent light bulbs.
Chamber receptionist June Mahon reported that the visitor’s center welcomed 59 visitors from 10 states during February.

Vandalia Superintendent of Schools Rich Well spoke to the Vandalia Chamber of Commerce last week about the district’s struggle with diminishing state funds for education.

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