State budget deadlock may have direct impact on schools

Suburban legislators lambasted House Speaker Mike Madigan Tuesday, saying his insistence on stalling a state budget companion bill will hurt 725 school districts.

As of Thursday, those systems could start getting less general state aid than they now receive, legislators said.

The only chance to prevent that is a vote on the long-blocked bill when the General Assembly reconvenes Thursday to deal with transportation funding.

"The sad part is, this was the best education bill we've had in a long time -- and to see it all for naught is hard," said state Rep. Sandy Pihos, a Glen Ellyn Republican.

The problem? Political maneuvering and a funding technicality, legislators say.

Back in August, legislative leaders struck a state budget deal that, among other things, included added millions in state funding for public schools. Those leaders said they'd stick together and override vetoes expected to be filed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was not part of the deal.

But within days, the coalition fell apart amid allegations of political back-stabbing. In response, Senate President Emil Jones Jr., a Chicago Democrat, reversed course and, standing next to the governor at a news conference, announced he'd uphold Blagojevich's vetoes.

The Illinois House never voted on the technical language needed to make the now-defunct deal a reality. And it still hasn't, despite attempts by House Republicans.

So even though the funding has been approved, there's no authority to distribute it.

Steve Brown, spokesman for Madigan, said the budget deal and technical language go hand-in-hand. If the initial deal would get back on track, he said it'd be much easier to resolve the technical budget issues.

Brown said House Democratic staff plans to talk to Republican leaders when they return this week to see if there are provisions of the budget deal that should be addressed.

In the meantime, promised funding increases won't arrive, potentially damaging school budgets already counting on the increases.

Pihos said here's how the numbers stack up: Glenbard High School District 87 will receive $84,000 less than it currently does without the bill, but was supposed to get $232,000 more; Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 will see state aid lowered by $17,000 when it should be raised by $103,000.

Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 Superintendent Richard Drury said his district stands to lose $3.5 million in state aid. That's $3.5 million less than the district's already receiving this year -- and the equivalent of 75 staff members.

If Madigan doesn't reverse his stance, the district can dip into its reserves and borrow the money for one year. Next year, though, it would have to make cuts, Drury said.

"Both parties campaigned on providing more education dollars," said state Rep. Jim Meyer, a Naperville Republican. "Now it's time to deliver on that."

Not all districts however, counted their money before it arrived.

Earlier this month, officials with Carpentersville-based District 300, said they went ahead with a budget that did not include any of the more than $3 million extra the district expected to get from the state under the new budget.