July 08--East Aurora School Board members are urging the state to change the way education is funded, and asking local legislators to continue lobbying for students.
In a recently-approved letter to the community, they say the current state funding formula unfairly penalizes Aurora students and taxpayers.
"When you have equitable funding in education, it certainly improves the community," School Board President Annette Johnson said.
In the letter, board members encouraged the community to reach out to legislators to urge change. They said in the letter that it's time for a long-term fix for education funding.
East Aurora officials have been outspoken about their view that the way the state funds education should be changed and they have set up a website to promote that view. At a recent Ilinois State Board of Education Meeting held in Oswego, local superintendents and students spent more than an hour talking about the effect of cuts in state aid on school districts.
In recent years, the state has distributed only a percentage of the aid it owes to school districts. East Aurora officials have said they are unfairly harmed by those cuts because the district relies more heavily on state aid, and have therefore lost more dollars than other districts.
For the coming year, districts are set to receive 92 percent of the state aid owed them -- a higher percentage than they received last year. An additional $85 million is expected to be distributed among the neediest school districts in the state, including some local districts.
School Board members said in the letter they were grateful for next year's funding, but they are looking for a long-term solution.
"But we should be doing more for these students who enter our schools with greater needs and less at-home resources," they wrote. "Our parents, our taxpayers and our students are doing their part. It's time for a long-term fix to a formula that has made Illinois the country's most regressive state for equitable education funding."
East Aurora has missed out on about $36 million from the state over the past four years, according to the district. Johnson said the School Board has done a good job of making money stretch, but there were needs she would like to address as School Board president.
She also remains skeptical the state money will come through, she said.
"(State aid) was great for this year," she said.. "But I would say, for future years, what is the plan going to be?"
sfreishtat@tribpub.com
