Which suburban schools will get some cut state funding back
SPRINGFIELD - Nearly 600 of the 800 Illinois school districts will have $97 million in state funding restored after a budget deal brokered last month between Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislative leaders cut money for education, with about one-third going to Chicago schools and the rest scattered among the other districts including many in the suburbs.
But even with millions coming back to schools across the state, it will not make up for a 2.25 percent across-the-board budget cut that included education. And school officials still have to worry about more funding problems as the state continues to grapple with an ongoing budget crisis that may prompt more budget cuts in the next fiscal year.
"School districts are not out of the woods yet," Elgin Area School District U-46 CEO Tony Sanders said.
The Illinois State Board of Education plan, approved Wednesday and supported by Rauner, identified districts that were likely to face financial crisis as a result of reductions. The plan also protects districts that have higher concentrations of low-income students and have lower available local resources.
Approval of the funding plan comes the same day the board of education also moved unanimously to select Anthony "Tony" Smith - GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner's recommendation to the board - as its new superintendent.
The funds range from a few thousand dollars to $33 million for Chicago Public Schools. CPS is facing an estimated $1.1 billion budget deficit and its pension fund is billions short of what's needed to pay benefits as currently promised.
Thirty-two districts, including CPS, will get 95 percent of the cut restored. Another 546 districts will get about three-quarters of their funding put back, while the remaining 278 districts were determined not to be eligible.
Elgin U-46 is among the districts receiving 73.6 percent of its funding cut back from the state.
Sanders said the district still is experiencing a loss of $18 million through grant freezes and the fund transfers from the budget deal.
The budget deal signed into law by Rauner last month transferred $1.3 billion from state funds that pay for a variety of programs and made 2.25 percent across the board cuts - which included education - to fill a $1.6 billion hole in the current budget. It also stipulated that the $97 million is for financially distressed school districts.
Which suburban districts are getting funds back
These local school districts will get back some of the funds cut in a stopgap budget deal signed last month by Gov. Bruce Rauner cut in March. Other school districts considered less needy will not have any funding restored.
Addison 4: $184,869
Aurora 131: $1,562,400
Aurora West 129: $764,210
Barrington 220: $194,817
Batavia 101: $132,337
Bensenville 2: $73,906
Big Hollow 38: $62,324
Diamond Lake 76: $35,307
District 300: $699,803
East Maine: $121,774
Elgin Area U-46: $2,138,981
Elk Grove Township 59: $212,267
Gavin 37: $41,123
Grayslake 46: $182,260
Indian Prairie 204: $737,037
Marquardt 15: $142,267
North Chicago 187: $450,974
Palatine 15: $311,461
Prospect Heights 23: $33,545
Queen Bee 16: $95,150
Rondout 72: $1,667
Roselle 12: $12,462
Rosemont 78: $5,752
Round Lake 116: $719,390
Warren 121: $125,281
Wauconda 118: $163,060
Waukegan 60: $1,662,752
West Chicago 33: $296,389
Wheaton-Warrenville 200: $280,685
Wheeling 21: $195,128
Wood Dale 7: $33,960
Woodland 50: $184,950
Source: Illinois State Board of Education