Media release on Dec. 2, 2004 audio news conference
In
an audio news conference held December 2nd, representatives from statewide
educational organizations and the business community called on Gov. Rod
Blagojevich to take immediate action to establish a new minimum per-pupil
funding level to provide all Illinois students with an adequate education.
State law requires that members of the Education Funding
Advisory Board (EFAB) recommend the new minimum per-pupil spending amount – also
known as the foundation level – every odd year. The last report was delivered in
2003, and the next report is due by January 2005. However, EFAB has been unable
to meet that demand due to several vacancies on its board, which must be filled
through appointments by Gov. Blagojevich.
Participants in today’s news conference highlighted the
need for an accurate assessment of what it truly costs to educate a
student.
"It's
critical that we know what it costs to provide a decent education for a child in
Illinois, so we can ensure that schools have sufficient funds to operate. We
certainly hope that the state is not sweeping this fundamental accountability
issue under the rug," said Bindu Batchu, manager of A+ Illinois, a statewide
school funding and quality reform campaign. "If the Blagojevich administration
is serious about improving education in
Illinois
, updating benchmarks for school
funding should be a top priority. The current foundation level research is very
outdated. Neither the costs of meeting new standards under the No Child Left
Behind Act nor inflation are considered in the current recommended foundation
level."
The Illinois General Assembly created EFAB in 1997 to make
policy recommendations regarding education spending based on research into the
true cost of providing an adequate education. EFAB used tested methodology to
determine its 2001 and 2003 recommendations, and can use that same methodology
should it be directed by the governor to issue a 2005 report.
EFAB’s 2001 report recommended a foundation level of $5,665
for the 2003-2004 school year; however, the state has never reached that mark.
With annual inflation, $5,665 equals $5,952 in 2005 dollars. Meanwhile, the
current foundation level for the 2004-2005 school year is only $4,964 per
student. What's more, the last increase for state school funding was $154 for
FY05 –just $2 ahead of inflation, indicating that the state is barely keeping up
with the rising cost of education, and certainly not getting ahead.
With school districts statewide already drastically cutting
costs by eliminating such basics as class offerings and teaching positions, it
is important that state leaders identify and provide the true cost of a basic
education in Illinois, according to Dr. Marleis Trover, superintendent of Vienna
High School District 133, president of Illinois Association of School
Administrators, and an EFAB member.
"While
we are grateful that we received some new money and that the poverty indicator
was updated, we are far from where we need to be,” said Trover. “We have not
received our EFAB recommended foundation level. In fact, schools, parents and
students are already shortchanged $1,000 – and that's based on outdated data.
It is important that we trust the process that the EFAB
Board used to identify the adequate foundation level of school funding, and
stay the course for systematic
funding reform."
"The disparity in the current education funding system
ultimately hurts children," said Dean Clark, president and CEO of the Graphic
Chemical and Ink Company, member of the Illinois State Board of Education, and
former EFAB member. "Until funding reform and fiscal and performance
accountability reform are pursued on parallel paths, Illinois will continue to
have more than 80 percent of its schools in deficit spending, and rank among the
nation’s worst in per-pupil spending gaps across school districts and state
funding support for education."
"A
top-notch public education system is vital both to the quality of life for
Illinois students and also to growing the state’s economy," said Bert Docter,
president and CEO of Docter Enterprises, former Chairman of the Southland
Chamber of Commerce, and an EFAB member. "In an increasingly global economy,
Illinois students need a solid education to
develop the knowledge and skills that will enable our businesses to compete, and
right now,
Illinois schools do not have the
tools and funds they need to ensure all
Illinois
children receive a quality
education."
Illinois
Education Association President Anne Davis was unable to participate in the news
conference, however, she offered her comments in a statement, saying, "In the
past year alone, the number of schools in Illinois that failed to meet national
standards in math, reading, attendance and graduation rates rose by more than
600 percent. The student achievement gap between the lowest and highest
performing schools is growing worse, class sizes are growing, and programs are
being eliminated. Updating the foundation level, one of the most important
benchmarks for school funding, is imperative in order to begin making serious
improvements in education throughout Illinois."
In
addition to her role as president of the IEA,
Davis
is also a member of the A+ Illinois
coordinating committee and an EFAB member.
A+
Illinois is a campaign of more than 100 organizations and thousands of
individuals across the state committed to real reform in the quality and funding
of public education for all Illinois children. Partner organizations include AFSCME
Council 31, Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, Chicago Urban League,
Illinois Education Association, Illinois Farm Bureau, Metropolitan Planning
Council, Tax Policy Forum and Voices for Illinois Children. Visit A+
Illinois for more
information.
Featured
speakers at Thursday's press conference were:
Bindu Batchu, Campaign Manager, A+ Illinois
Dean Clark, President and CEO, Graphic Chemical and Ink
Company; member, Illinois State Board of Education; former EFAB member
Bert Docter, President and CEO, Docter Enterprises; former
Chairman, Southland Chamber of Commerce; former EFAB member
Dr. Marleis Trover, President, Illinois Association of
School Administrators; Superintendent, Vienna High School District 133; former
EFAB member
Note: EFAB's 2003 report is
no longer available on-line at the Illinois State Board of Education's (ISBE)
Web site. To obtain a copy of the report, or for further information about EFAB,
contact Naomi Velazquez Greene, division administrator, ISBE
Communications/Multimedia Division, at 217-782-4648 or ngreene@isbe.net.