| Ill. school districts to get cash after seven years |
 |
 |
 |
| Written by Amanda DiSilvestro, Daily Vidette Staff Writer |
| Thursday, 15 October 2009 04:14 |
|
After seven years of waiting, two dozen Illinois school districts appear closer to getting the money they were promised by the state. The money for these various schools comes from the increase in alcohol taxes as well as driver’s license fees, but the governor’s office still is not saying when it will begin giving money to these districts. “It has actually been about seven and a half years. We wanted to build a brand new pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school with the money,” Silvis Illinois School District Superintendent Ray Bergles said. “However, these seven and a half years have made a huge difference and now we will only be able to build a middle school. We certainly are not getting what we wanted.” Although the money is said to be closer than ever, the seven year wait has left parents and administrators skeptical. “Ultimately, I suspect that it will be several more years before this money actually gets to the school districts and the districts can put it to use. By then, an entire cohort of children who entered kindergarten when the money was promised will have graduated from high school,” Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Administration Diane R. Dean said. Superintendent Gary Schurz of Johnston City school district agreed that at this point assuming the money will come is not worth the time. “I never imagined it would take so long. Each year the legislators would tell us that financing the capital obligation made in 2002 was their ‘top priority.’ Each year they let us down, and I do not believe it’s coming now,” Schurz said. In 2007 former Gov. Rod Blagojevich ruined any chance these districts would get their money by claiming that school districts had missed a deadline to hand in the paperwork. “That was a Blagojevich nightmare excuse. He literally vetoed the bill that was going to give us the money on the last possible night he could have,” Bergles said. “If they would have told us we had paperwork due we would have walked down there and given it to them personally,” Bergles continued. Schurz agreed with Bergles about the comment Blagojevich made about insufficient paperwork. “That is not true. Districts were not told money was coming or that paperwork was due until after the deadline. It was another slight-of-hand that Blagojevich pulled to show that he was doing good things for schools without really doing anything,” Schurz said. Dean explained that even if districts did miss the deadline for necessary paperwork it would be impossible to blame the entire seven-year delay on that issue alone. “We are dealing with long range strategic planning. This should not be a yes or no decision based on a paperwork deadline. We are talking about building and renovating schools. Does a real estate developer scrap the whole project because paperwork isn’t filed on time? No,” Dean said. “At the most, such missed deadlines could delay the project and funding until the next paperwork cycle. At the very most extreme, this could result in a year’s delay if the filing dates are annual. There is no way this excuse could be used to justify six to seven years of delays,” Dean continued. Other districts also waiting include Benton, Du Quoin, Silvis and Stewardson-Strasburg. “Illinois should be ashamed that it has taken seven years and two governors to come close to funding school districts with the money they were promised by the state. I realize these are inherited problems and promises, but we can and should do better for the children in the state,” Dean concluded. “Don’t promise what you can’t deliver.” |
