Reacting to budget cutbacks ordered Monday by Gov. James Thompson, state and local educators called on the governor and the state legislature to increase funds for education during the General Assembly`s fall veto session. ”For three years, Illinois led the nation in the educational reform movement,” said Stanley Ikenberry, University of Illinois president. ”We are now in danger of being the first to become a dropout.”
Education was hardest hit by the budget cuts outlined by the governor.
Thompson slashed $62.5 million in general state aid to elementary and secondary schools, which means that schools will get 3.4 percent less than what was provided for the 1986-87 academic year. Of that, Chicago will lose $24.1 million, a cut of nearly 4.1 percent, according to figures from the State Board of Education.
The state budget for all elementary and secondary education spending will be $165.8 million less than what the legislature approved earlier this month and higher education spending will be $66.7 million less.
The Chicago Board of Education will meet Tuesday to discuss ways to pare its budget.
Under consideration are proposals to reduce the school year by four days, temporarily eliminate the longevity raise automatically granted teachers with up to 15 years of service and scale back funds for school repairs, equipment and supplies, said Frank Gardner, Chicago school board president. He said the board`s tentative $1.937 billion budget may have to be reduced by up to $160 million as a result of the governor`s action.
School Supt. Manford Byrd Jr. said the reduction in funds probably will have the greatest effect on relatively new programs that depend on state aid, including the reading improvement program and an alternative truant and dropout prevention program.
”We are making a conscious effort to have as little impact on the classroom as we can,” Byrd said. ”But even so, the quality of education has to be affected. When you have to cut back on academic and support services the youngsters in the end are the people who lose.”
State School Supt. Ted Sanders said the budget cuts may force many local school districts to raise property taxes or borrow money to fund budgets for the school year beginning this fall.
”Certainly there is going to be greater pressure on local property taxes as a result of this announcement today,” Sanders said at a press conference in Springfield. ” . . . that is the only place districts have to turn after they`ve made the cuts that they can possibly make.”
Sanders said the fiscal pinch could also put school districts ”into a difficult situation” as they negotiate teacher contracts this summer and fall. He said that as many as one-half of the 997 school districts in Illinois will be negotiating teaching contracts this fall, including Chicago`s.
Compared to current funding levels, suburban Cook County stands to lose $16.7 million, a cut of 8.2 percent; Du Page County, $6.4 million, or 12.3 percent less; Kane County, $2.3 million, or 3.4 percent less; Lake County, $1.2 million or 2.2 percent less; McHenry County, $813,000 or 3.9 percent less; and Will County, $1.5 million, or 2.4 percent less.
Also facing the budget ax is the year-old Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora. The school received $3.5 million, half the amount officials say is needed to operate with about 450 students. Officials have said the three-year residential academy for technically oriented youngsters will close in January, midway through its second year, if it does not receive more money.
Officals said the budget cuts in higher educational funding will have an immediate and long-term effect on the public university system.
Richard D. Wagner, executive director of the Illinois State Board of Higher Education called the cutbacks ”a major setback” because they will freeze faculty member`s salaries and decrease the number of students receiving need-based financial grants by 5,000.
The budget cuts will also cause the elimination of 1,125 jobs at the state`s 12 public university campuses.
”The reduced appropiation level represents a major setback to the state`s effort in recent years to improve the quality of higher education,”
Wagner said.
Wagner said the 12 Illinois public university campuses will likely need to increase student tuition at midyear in January by $150. The average annual tuition fee is $1,290.
