As soon as the General Assembly approved a plan to funnel more money to public schools, McHenry County school officials began drafting wish lists.
Everything from more teachers to new, expensive creative teaching programs appeared on the lists, alongside dreams of getting millions for construction projects needed to alleviate overcrowding.
But superintendents throughout the county remain skeptical about a school spending plan that they see as complex and almost too good to be true. Mostly, they worry that the money could dry up in coming years.
“Our board will be cautious about implementing highly desired instructional programs because we may be forced to dismantle them three years later,” said Robert Gough, superintendent of Johnsburg District 12, which will receive $832,246 in increased aid next school year. “How solid is this source of money? We don’t want to invest in something, then take it apart.”
Taxpayers hearing the doubts of school officials have good reason to wonder whether the new plan means more money for Illinois’ public schools.
The short answer is yes. Many public schools will get more money from the state next year, and none–not even the wealthiest schools in the suburbs–will get less.
But the guarantee that districts won’t lose any state funding ends after next school year, and that has some school officials worried.
Overall, McHenry County schools will see a $12.5 million increase in state aid in 1999. Thirteen school districts are getting increases ranging from a little more than $100,000 to $2.6 million. Seven districts will not see increases in state aid.
But as school officials have already begun to figure out, the situation is more complex. And to obtain the complete answer to the cash question, one must consider long-standing peculiarities of the way the state delivers money to public schools, as well as some new features of the program.
The bottom line is that many schools– especially those already spending more than the bare-bones amount on each pupil annually–will not get a substantial increase in money from the state next year.
Wonder Lake’s Harrison District 36, a 500-pupil elementary district that has had a chronic education-fund deficit, will receive about $800,000 in state aid next year, nearly $265,000 more than this year.
“Probably the biggest thing that money would mean is that, for some period of time, we won’t have to go to the public to ask for an education-fund tax increase,” said Supt. Terry Welke.
“We’ve been running $100,000 to $125,000 deficits in the education fund every year. So $265,000 would make our education fund healthy.”
Welke said the district next year probably would consider hiring more 3rd-grade teachers with the money. Improvements to the district’s curriculum also could be in the works.
“We’ve had to hold off expanding our curriculum because we’ve had the education-fund deficit,” he said. “Maybe we could do something in that area, if the money actually comes through. We have to explore how we’re delivering education and ask if we have enough people to provide it in the way we want.”
In Woodstock District 200, which is projected to receive about $2 million more in state aid next school year, Supt. Joseph Hentges said that he plans to recommend to his school board that the district hire more teachers and improve program offerings.
“I can’t say yet what those program offerings might be,” Hentges said, “but I know reading will be one of the areas.
“Also, for the first time in more than 20 years, we’ll have a chance to build a modest education-fund balance. It’s important to have money to lean on when state-aid increases are not adequate. So I’ll recommend we use some of the money for that.”
The main idea behind the new plan is to send more money to poorer districts. Districts in wealthier areas can raise money through local property taxes more easily than their poorer counterparts, and the state tries to help make up the difference.
And unlike the current school-aid formula, the new plan favors neither elementary school nor high school districts. State officials used to favor high schools because they thought they needed more money for sophisticated equipment, said Illinois State Board of Education spokeswoman Kim Knauer.
But officials now reason that money spent in the formative years is just as important.
For years, the state has also abided by a “hold harmless” policy of trying not to give a local school district less state money than the prior year. But the new plan, approved by the legislature and signed by Gov. Jim Edgar, makes the promise only for next year.
In fact, the only major guarantee is that no school district will have less than $4,225 to spend on each student once state and local money is counted. An Edgar-appointed task force concluded in 1996 that $4,225 was the minimum needed for a basic education. That amount will rise by $100 a year in 2000 and 2001.
In Richmond District 13, Supt. Bernard Mitchell said that “until we receive firm information that we’re getting the money, we’re not prepared to wrestle with the issue. There have been too many times when we’ve done projections, but the money hasn’t come to pass.”
The district is projected to receive about $268,000 more state aid next year. The district is receiving about $543,000 in aid this year.
“We’ll consider the additional money as we do our goal planning next year, but we’ll believe we have the money when we see it,” Mitchell said.
