State must keep its commitments on school funding
With the sounds of coaches’ whistles on the football field and the whir of fans in school halls, it’s undeniable that the beginning of a new school year is upon us.
In fact, most area schools will welcome students back next week. Vandalia teachers have a work day on Thursday and then welcome the students for a half day on Friday.
The start of classes in the fall is always a busy time for families, with school supplies to purchase, registration to tend to and schedules to adjust.
School administrators and teachers, likewise, feel the swell of excitement and the increase of the pace.
This year, the normal transition is being made more difficult by a cloud of uncertainty hanging over state funding for Illinois’ schools.
Because of massive budget deficits, several school programs have been caught in the cost-cutting crossfire. Alternative education, agriculture programs and preschool programs all were on the chopping block until last week, when Gov. Pat Quinn restored at least some of the funding. At least for now, school administrators can make plans for those programs to continue in some fashion.
"It’s a much better picture than when the budget first came out a few weeks ago," Vandalia Superintendent of Schools Rich Well said last week. "It’s not perfect, but we’re used to dealing with not perfect."
Unfortunately, he’s right. Illinois educators are becoming all too familiar with imperfect support from the state. Last year, for instance, the Vandalia School District received only two of four quarterly payments in the transportation category. Programs and services must be offered, but administrators are never certain that the state will come through with the funding.
In many cases, the local programs have been able to continue only because the district has had the discipline to live within its means and build up a modest reserve. But if our local reserve is to survive to get us through true emergencies, we can’t keep raiding it when state funds don’t materialize.
Obviously, the state is in dire straits financially. Cuts have been made, and more will be necessary. But the pain of those cuts must be shared across the board – not just borne by a handful of programs.
And after the cuts have been determined, the state must stand behind its funding commitments. Otherwise, local agencies and schools have no way to plan ahead and conduct their programs. Even in tough times, the state must be willing to stand behind its commitments.
As the school year gets under way and teachers go about their jobs of educating our children, we will be watching to see if Gov. Quinn and legislators get passing grades for keeping their word on school funding.
db
