Dependence on local property taxes denies students, schools resources
CONTACT: Bindu Batchu — 312.307.3162 (cell)
Scott Goldstein — 312.863.6003
The
mixed statewide results of yesterday’s education referenda demonstrate two
things funding reform advocates already knew: The positive is that voters really
do believe education is a top priority, and those who can afford to are willing
to use their wallets to prove it. The negative lesson is too many school
districts are strapped by the state’s over-reliance on the property tax to fund
education, and their financial situations have now gone from dire to
worse.
“The number of victories is both
surprising and encouraging," said Bindu Batchu,
manager of Network 21:
Quality Schools for Stronger Communities, a coalition of education, business,
labor and civic organizations that share a common interest in reforming the way
Illinois schools are funded.
“Clearly, voters are
willing to make tough choices for the sake of education, and many are skeptical
the state will fulfill its constitutional obligation to fund education. Now,
it’s up to the governor and General Assembly to demonstrate they indeed have the
will to ante up the state’s share,” she added.
Because
of the way Illinois’ education finance system works, even some of the districts
whose referenda won will not see the results soon enough to stave off painful
cuts. In the case of Elgin’s U-46 — which sought to raise
the
current level of taxing authority
from
37 to 75 cents — winning would only have generated about $12 million in
revenue.
Unfortunately, Elgin
voters defeated the referendum 60 percent to 40 percent, leaving the district
with no place else to turn — 1,000 pink slips to teachers have already gone
out.
Connie
Neale, U-46 superintendent, said, “We have already been forced to lay off
teachers, and we know our costs are only going to go up. Meanwhile, the state
formula penalizes districts like ours, with growing enrollment, by delaying
payments by a year.
The only source
we have to increase revenue is the property tax. Now, we have nothing to fall
back on — there is no safety net.”
For
the last four years, Carlinville CUSD 1 has been awarded the state's "Bright
Star," which honors districts whose students' academic performance ranks in the
upper one-third of all Illinois school districts, but whose expenditure per
pupil is in the lower one-fourth. Still, a
referendum calling for a 1.25 percent increase in the maximum annual education
tax rate failed by more than 1280 votes. Superintendent Michael A. Collins said,
“
Eighty-four
percent of our students meet or exceed state standards.
Yet, here
we
are, a successful district slowly being ripped apart by Illinois’ school funding
system.
Unless the State steps up
to its responsibilities, we will be a shell of the school district we were.
All of the positive things that we've
done will be gone.”
“The rejection
of referenda throughout the state in the last two elections — coupled with the
research that shows voters strongly support adequately funded schools — make it
crystal clear the school funding system in Illinois must be reformed,” said Dan
Burkhalter, director-government relations, Illinois Education Association.
Other
school districts with failing referenda include: Canton Union District 66 in
Fulton County; Joliet Township High School District 204 in Will County; and
O’Fallon CUSD 90 in St. Clair County.
Some
of the districts where voters approved referenda include New Trier Township High
School District 203 in Cook County; Pleasant Plains CUSD 8 in Sangamon, Morgan
and Menard counties; and West Chicago Elementary School District 33 in DuPage
County.
The upshot:
The rejection of education referenda is
a wake-up call to the governor and General Assembly to begin serious discussion
of education funding reform proposals.
Last October, the Education Funding Advisory Board (EFAB) filed a school
funding report calling for increasing the minimum per student funding the State
guarantees to school districts, reducing property taxes, and providing
incentives for school district consolidation.
The proposal
to
raise the minimum dollar amount the State guarantees for each pupil by more than
$1,100 to at least $5,665 per student, a level researchers say is necessary to
provide an adequate education,
would increase State
school funding by $1.8 billion.
Rep. Renee Kosel (R-New Lenox), Republican spokesperson on
the House Elementary & Secondary Education Committee, said, “The voters have
sent a message that the property tax system in no longer able to absorb the
needs of K-12 education in many areas of the state.
I believe this is due in part to the
current state of the economy, but also to our heavy reliance on property taxes
to fund our local schools.
The Cook
County system of property tax is especially flawed.
As we explore alternatives and
efficiencies in funding public education, we need to preserve our local control
of our schools.”
Rep.
Larry McKeon (D-Chicago) said the defeat of the referenda must signal an end to
the failed policies of the past that have seen the State apply short-term
solutions to the long-term problem of school funding.
“The voters won't accept excuses for
having under-funded schools.
They
will expect action and it is incumbent upon the members of the legislature to
fix, once and for all, the Illinois school funding mess.”
More than one-third of
Illinois’ 893 schools districts are facing serious financial difficulties,
according to the Illinois State Board of Education’s (ISBE) 2002 Financial
Profile. One hundred school districts are on the Financial Watch List — a roster
of school districts facing the most severe financial problems — as compared to
11 school districts last year.
Ralph
Martire, executive director,
Center
for Tax and Budget Accountability
,
said, “
These
referenda failed because Illinois already relies too much on property taxes to
fund schools and most taxpayers know it.
They also know this over-reliance is unfair and has contributed to the
huge equity gap in school funding.
The only way Illinois can break the bond between the affluence of a
community and the quality of public education is to decrease reliance on
property taxes and use more state-based revenue.”
Network
21, a statewide coalition led by the Metropolitan Planning Council, launched an
intensive statewide advocacy campaign in September of 2002 to reform public
education funding, quality and accountability. Its top priorities are to
ensure
that education funding is sufficient to provide a quality education for every
student in Illinois;
s
upport
funding options that decrease reliance on local property taxes; support quality
reforms that improve education outcomes for all children; and support policies
that improve access and use of technology in all public
schools.