School chiefs urge state to commit to level funding
As thousands of their teachers were rallying in Springfield Wednesday, top officials in the state's largest school districts delivered a succinct message from the suburbs.
Pay now or pay later.
Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman and Elgin Area School District U-46 Superintendent Jose Torres held a news conference at Elgin High School, urging legislators to reject Gov. Pat Quinn's proposed 2011 budget, which would cut education funding by $1.3 billion.
The lost funds would translate into hundreds fewer teachers, larger classes, and fewer opportunities for electives and after school programs next year. Both men argued that the move would also cost the state more in welfare and prison costs in years to come.
"Balancing the state's budget on the backs of kids is not the way to move forward," Huberman said.
CPS, as the state's largest school district, stands to lose $368 million. U-46, as the second-largest, would lose $42 million.
The districts have each been forced to go forward with creating next year's budgets, as legislators drag their feet to approve the state's.
U-46 has taken a proactive approach, laying off more employees than necessary to pad itself against potential funding cuts.
On March 15, the school board approved layoffs for nearly 1,100 employees - 732 of them teachers.
Torres said he hopes to call back several hundred teachers if revenue improves.
U-46's tentative budget, announced Monday, assumes state funding will be reduced by the full amount. Its operating fund deficit is expected to grow to $62 million by next year's end, Chief Financial Officer Ron Ally said.
Huberman said CPS is "grappling with the reality of how to comply with state and federal mandates" for low-income, special education and minority students with significantly less funding. Funding for bilingual education, according to Quinn's proposal, would be cut by 30 percent. CPS plans to announce layoffs in the coming days, and that schools will be informed of their 2010-11 budgets next week, he said.
Despite decrying the proposed cuts, Neither Huberman nor Torres would reveal whether they were in support of a tax increase.
"We want level funding, how they fix funding is up to them," Torres said.
The last day of this General Assembly's regular session is May 7.