April 28--Though Consolidated High School District 230 officials took credit for reducing a potential loss of state funding while they were campaigning for the April school board elections, district officials say they're still worried about the impact of a bill that would shake up Illinois' formula for awarding education funds.
District 230 and its feeder districts are hosting a town hall meeting with local legislators on May 11 at Sandburg High School in Orland Park to spread the word in the community about the School Funding Reform Act of 2015, or Senate Bill 1, and its potential impact on local districts.
A similar bill, Senate Bill 16, made it through the Senate last fall but was not called for a vote in the House. It aimed to make state funding more equitable by increasing the share awarded based on a district's financial need and ability to generate revenue through property tax.
Some districts benefited from the revisions, according to data from the state board of education.
Using Senate Bill 1's formula -- and assuming the state found the extra $92 million needed to meet its requirements in 2014 -- North Palos District 117, which would have lost about $2.7 million under Senate Bill 16, would gain about $1.7 million, while District 230 would lose $2.4 million rather than $7 million, according to the state board's projections.
But district leaders said they're still worried cuts to their funding would be too steep. According to a statement from District 230, the district and its feeder districts collectively stand to lose between $15.7 million and $6.2 million in state funding under Senate Bill 1, depending on how much additional education funding the state provides.
"Our work to protect the best interests of the community is far from over," District 230 school board President Rick Nogal said in a statement. "The success of our partner schools is vital to District 230. We will continue to work collaboratively with our partner districts to fight for our community."
Debbie Chafee, a District 117 parent who started the advocacy group EDGE Illinois to study the funding reform bills and pushed for changes she says would make them fairer for "anomaly districts" that aren't as wealthy as their property values might make them appear, said legislators made some important adjustments in the new bill.
The revised bill accounts for regional cost-of-living differences and includes extra funding for districts that tax heavily but still can't provide adequate per-pupil spending, she said.
But Chafee said she's still concerned about lack of long-term specifics on how the state will determine how many low-income students districts serve and the challenges facing districts, including many in Cook County, with limits on how much the property tax can increase without a referendum.
"We're all working to come up with a fair solution that everybody can work with," she said. "We still don't think this bill is ready, but we're committed to working with the sponsor, who's been incredibly receptive."
Chafee will be speaking at the May 11 town hall meeting, along with Nogal and Orland School District 135 Board President Joe La Margo.
The meeting will be at Sandburg High School's Performing Arts Center at 13300 S. LaGrange Road from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
District 230 spokeswoman Carla Erdey said local legislators also will attend and field questions, though the district did not have a list of which legislators had committed to attending.
lzumbach@tribpub.com
