Amendment aims to protect funding for flu-closed school districts

SPRINGFIELD - Schools wouldn't lose state funding if they close their doors because of swine flu scares under legislation being considered at the Capitol.

State Sen. Deanna Demuzio, a Carlinville Democrat, has proposed an amendment to the school code to prevent schools from losing funding because of future closures for health issue reasons such as swine flu.

"In the future, if there is swine flu or a catastrophe and there are days where school buildings have to be closed, they won't lose their days," said Demuzio.

The legislation states that during health emergencies when schools that consulted with local health departments must close individual buildings, but not the entire district, for one day or more, those days will not be considered when calculating attendance for purposes of determining state financial aid.

Suburban schools that closed and could be adversely affected under the current system include Batavia High School, Rotolo Middle School in Batavia, Algonquin Middle School and Larkin High School in Elgin.

The funding changes were added to a piece of legislation that has already passed the Illinois House. The Senate Education Committee passed the change Monday and sent it to the full Senate.