House panel OKs funding fix for Dist. 158

Huntley Unit District 158 is getting closer to receiving the $2 million in state aid its been losing annually.

The Illinois House Committee for Elementary and Secondary Education passed legislation Wednesday that would fix the error and allow District 158 to receive an additional 25 percent in state aid in the future. The legislation was approved 12-0, with seven members voting "present," and will be sent to the floor to be voted on by the entire House.

"It was a big step today. You have to get it out of there to keep it alive," said former District 158 board Vice President Tony Quagliano, who has spearheaded the effort to fix the state aid issue. "Hopefully these people don't try to derail it."

State Rep. Mike Tryon, a Crystal Lake Republican, is sponsoring the House legislation. Tryon testified before the committee to explain the problem and describe why state action is needed.

The issue stems from an error in the Kane County Clerk's Office several years ago that led the state to overestimate the amount of local property taxes the district was receiving.

As a result, the state gave the district less funding. And because each year's state aid is based on what the district got in the previous year, the problem has been compounding and costing the district more each year.

As a result, Huntley is currently spending $2,000 less per student on education than the state average.

The district has faced opposition from the Illinois State Board of Education because officials there said they did not make an error in calculating the funding.

"This isn't the first instance of this having ever happened," said Toni Waggoner, senior budget analyst with the state education board. "It's not that I am against the school district getting money that they would have had had everything been in place at the time. The issue is, do you do it for one school district or everyone who could be in that position?"

Waggoner said as many as 85 districts could be eligible for more state money.

District 158 Superintendent John Burkey said the school is just looking out for its students.

However, school funding is a contentious issue, especially given the state's nearly $12 billion deficit.