Will County area legislators hear impassioned pleas from parents, teachers, community leaders
The message is clear. Schools across the state are in financial distress
and serious change is required now.
Parents, teachers, human services providers, farmers, religious
leaders, and others from Will County to as far away as Kankakee and Grundy
counties were on hand at the A+ Illinois community forum on Saturday, May 8,
2004, at Zion Lutheran Church in Tinley Park. Nearly 150 turned out to encourage
area legislators to immediately address comprehensive reform of school funding.
"The purpose of this meeting was to provide a forum where
the voters' concerns about the crisis in our education system could be heard by
the people who can make a difference — our legislators," said Mark Hornung,
publisher of the Daily Southtown
, moderator of the meeting. "And, we wanted to
know how we can help them."
Legislators in attendance were Ill. Sens. Debbie
Halvorson (D-Crete), Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) and Larry Walsh (D-Joliet), and Ill.
Rep. Renee Kosel (R-New Lenox).
The forum was sponsored by A+ Illinois, a new, statewide campaign
committed to ensuring meaningful school quality, funding, and tax system reforms
in Illinois, including significant and lasting property-tax relief while
protecting services that are vital to children, families, and communities. It
was hosted by the Metropolitan Alliance of Congregations (MAC), an active A+
Illinois member.
The A+ Illinois campaign is based on the belief that the
current achievement gap between students from wealthy and poor areas is totally
unacceptable. The state does not pay its fair share of school funding, forcing
communities to turn to already overburdened local property taxpayers, leaving the
quality of a child's education dependent on where he or she
lives. A+ Illinois is encouraging Illinois lawmakers to make school funding fairer and
more adequate for all children by raising the state's per-pupil
funding level, reducing schools' reliance upon property taxes, and ensuring the protection of vital
human services.
Speakers lamented the inadequacy of the way Illinois
currently funds education. "Any system that pits senior citizens against youth in
a community is bad, bad public policy," said Dr. Paul Kaiser, professor at
Lewis University in Romeoville. "Our over-reliance on property taxes does just that,
and is the reason Illinois ranks last in fairness and equity of all 50 states."
Joan Schultz, a parent of three in Will County and co-president
of the Troy SD 30C PTO, described the challenges rapid population growth
has created for her district. "Troy schools are an excellent example of what has
happened to good schools in exploding growth areas of this state," Schultz said.
"Troy has suffered revenue losses due to the real estate tax cap, federal and
state unfunded or under-funded mandates, and of course, lack of support from the
Illinois General Assembly."
Schultz went on to illustrate how revenue shortfalls will affect
her children: "I just had the great pleasure of seeing my eighth-grader march
down Main Street at Disney World with the Troy Band — something the band has
done several times before, but may not ever do again because of these cuts. My
daughter, who is in second grade, will likely not get that opportunity next
year. She is already talking about playing the flute in band…. how do I tell her
she may not get that chance?"
One student explained how her own school was lacking. "Our
opportunities are limited by the lack of resources available for our high
school, said Holly Mellendorf, a sophomore at Joliet Central High School. "I'm
interested in science, but our science labs do not have up-to-date equipment. In
my school, there are not enough computers to give us real exposure to modern
technology. Sometimes we can't participate in extra-curricular activities
because the fees are too high."
Both the Democratic and Republican legislators present at
the forum voiced pessimism over the state's fiscal situation, and
shared apprehension that complexities of school funding and local concerns
make progress difficult. "We're a diverse state," Rep. Kosel said. "Just consider
the differences we've heard today and compare Troy schools to Hazel
Crest's. All of us here today want to improve the educational outcomes of all
children but we need to look at specific legislation as the devil is in the
details." Sen. Halvorson noted, "I'm committed, but there are 177 other
legislators in Springfield so it's great that you're working to unify groups and
an agenda with A+ Illinois."
When pressed on specific legislation and calling a special
legislative session if a solution to the school funding and quality crisis is
not realized before the end of session, Halvorson urged attendees to "contact
the governor and ask him to do what it takes." Walsh added, "A special session
probably won't happen without the commitment of the governor."
"As has been made very clear this morning, the problems in
Illinois education are very real," Hornung said in closing. "Today, our
children's education is dependent on where they live. Teachers worry about
overcrowded classrooms and whether they will have jobs next year. Homeowners
must too often decide between skyrocketing property taxes and the quality of
their children's education. Comprehensive school quality and funding reform and
property tax relief, as envisioned in the A+ Illinois principles, are
solutions."
Organizations leading the A+ Illinois campaign are AFSCME
Council 31, Chicago Urban League, Center for Tax and Budget Accountability,
Illinois Education Association, Illinois Farm Bureau, Metropolitan Planning
Council, Tax Policy Forum, and Voices for Illinois Children. Many more
organizations and individuals from across the state have endorsed the campaign
principles including MAC, JACOB and SEIU.
Click
here
for
detailed A+ Illinois campaign education funding, education quality, and tax
reform principles.