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School funding increase finally OK'd

Posted January 10, 2008 10:00 pm

Adriana Colindres

The wait is nearly over for schools that have been expecting a boost in state funding since last summer.

The Illinois House voted 114-0 Thursday to accept revisions that Gov. Rod Blagojevich made to the legislation that includes additional funding for schools.

The Senate consented to the changes a day earlier, voting 54-0 on Senate Bill 783.

A key part of the legislation lets schools collect on a $400 increase in the state's new "foundation level" of $5,734 per student. The bill includes other provisions, such as boosting payment rates for some nursing homes and providers that serve the developmentally disabled.

The education funding component attracted the most attention, though, especially as schools waited month after month for government officials to follow through on their promise to increase state aid.

But before schools could collect, lawmakers and the governor had to approve a "budget implementation" bill.

The measure, referred to in Statehouse lingo as a BIMP, is basically companion legislation to the state budget. Most years, lawmakers approve a BIMP bill at about the same time they pass the budget for the coming fiscal year.

But 2007 was a particularly contentious year in the General Assembly.

Lawmakers did not send the governor BIMP legislation until early November, and he waited until last week to act on it.

By revising the bill, he sent the matter back to lawmakers, who had to decide whether to accept his changes.

One of the revisions involved changing dates for special-education reimbursements to ensure that schools get additional funds for special education this school year. In another revision, the governor permitted taking an extra $9 million from the state's road fund to pay for Illinois State Police services.

State Board of Education spokesman Matt Vanover said schools should start getting the extra state money around Jan. 20.

Most Illinois school districts will receive more state aid than they did last year, Vanover said. But he added that some will collect less because of factors such as lower student attendance and a higher property tax base.

State aid to school districts is based on several variables, including average daily attendance, equalized assessed valuation and corporate property replacement tax.

School districts will receive the full amount they're due for the 2007-08 school year, Vanover said.

In floor debate Thursday, lawmakers repeatedly referred to the delay in getting the extra money to schools.

"The way this has been handled will certainly never appear in anyone's book about 'Profiles in Courage,'" said Rep. Bill Black, R-Danville.

In a news release, the president of the Illinois Education Association said he hopes to avoid a similar delay in the future.

"This can't be allowed to happen again - for school districts to wait halfway through the school year for their expected money," said Ken Swanson. "The state budgeting process starts again in a few weeks, and we want to work with the governor and all the members of the legislature to develop a systemic solution to the inadequate and inequitable education funding system that is hurting students throughout Illinois."

Adriana Colindres can be reached at (217) 782-6292.

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