Sheriff’s Arrest Log

those in Springfield making these decisions,” he said.
Since setting those new standards in 1997, the “standards have increased in rigor, and meeting them required new resources, such as textbooks, curriculum and professional development, for which the state provides no assistance,” the superintendents’ group said.
While they support high student standards and accountability for their establishment, they said, the districts “have learned firsthand that meeting these standards consistently comes at a cost – a cost of eliminating critical teaching positions, counselors and other programs essential to student learning – because the state does not fund these mandates.
"Each year, the General Assembly establishes a 'Foundation Level' per-pupil cost (currently $6,119), and if any district lacks the local resources to meet that level, the state is obligated to make up the difference. Lawmakers have not adjusted this “Foundation Level” in more than eight years, and the level does not relate to the Illinois Learning Standards in any measurable way.
In fact, the superintendents contend, in recent years the General Assembly has failed to fully appropriate the 'Foundation Level, so instead it has prorated the funds. Under proration, the state decreases its aid to each district in a proportional manner. However, proration has a disproportionate impact on districts that have lower property wealth because those districts rely more heavily on state aid.
Well has put together a presentation showing how the Vandalia School District has responded to shortages in state funding the past six years.
Since 2011, he said, the district has cut the number of certified and non-certified staff members by 11 percent. The position cuts have included two guidance counselors, one music teacher, one physical education teacher, one art teacher, one administrator, four elementary teachers and two office staff, as well as athletic transportation and supply costs and one vocational education program.
Last year, the cuts meant that in addition to serving as the district superintendent, Well was the principal of Jefferson Primary School.
This school year, the students at that school were moved to Vandalia Elementary School as part of a district realignment.
“The impact of the reductions resulted in larger class sizes and fewer offerings to the students of the Vandalia community,” Well said.
Since 2011, he said, the district has reduced transportation costs by 10 percent and operations and maintenance expenditures by 19 percent.
The past three years, the local district has accessed $4.148 million in working cash bands “that have allowed the district to continue programs and services that would have otherwise been cut due to the lack of financial support from the state.”
The working cash bonds “extend the district’s debt,” Well said, with the option being to raise taxes.
Those funds represent what the district would have been receiving if state aid had not been prorated, Well said.
In addition to fighting prorated funding, school districts are having to deal with the state being behind on its payments to them.
The Vandalia district has been receiving General State Aid payments, but not categorical payments for such things as transportation, special education, school lunches and vocational education.
At this point, Well said, the Vandalia district is short about $1.4 million in funds from the state, with more than $500,000 of that for special education reimbursement, and that total amount will rise to more than $2 million by the end of the fiscal year if payments are not made.