March 29, 2024
Columns | Bureau County Republican


Columns

Bye-bye quality education

Say goodbye to the quality of education for your children. In Illinois, it’s as endangered as the dodo bird; yes, that means barring a sudden rise of intelligence in Springfield, school as you know it is gone.

There are names to blame — there always are. The situation is the result of slap-dash legislation to fix problems the Illinois legislature created by not doing their jobs in the first place. Senate Bills 1 and 16 are to blame. Let me explain them, so you can see what I mean.

Working backward, I’ll start with legislation currently making its way through the Illinois House: Senate Bill 16 (It’s already passed the House.). The bill was originally pushed by a Chicago Democrat named John J. Cullerton. Apparently, Cullerton had a change of heart because the leading sponsor changed three months later to Staunton Democrat Andy Manar. Twenty senators have signed on as sponsors — actually 21, but one had the good sense to distance himself from it very quickly. He must have actually read it.

Senate Bill 16 — in non-legalese — is meant to “equalize” the money going to schools based on performance, poverty levels, the air speed of unladen swallows and multiple other factors. What it boils down to is if your school is of a decent size and operating in or close to the black, it will now receive less state funding as a reward for its fiscal frugality. Small schools will receive the funding removed from the other schools, minus the planned reduction in funding and handling fees. Tax, title and license also probably play a role.

So that’s not good for schools that are currently close to breaking even (Example: The Putnam County School District will lose close to $1 million in state funding.), but even local small schools that are operating at $100,000 to $200,000 deficits will feel the pinch (Lostant’s budget currently carries $200,000 in red ink. SB 16 will steal another $47,000 from its coffers.).

That’s the second punch. Punch No. 1 came earlier this year in the form of Senate Bill 1, otherwise known as the pension reform act. It was crafted by John J. Cullerton.

This bill — currently being held up by the state judicial system since more than a few people feel the bill is unconstitutional — does many evil and insidious things, but its effect on the school system is what we’re concerned with this time. It’s big and two-fold.

The first issue as far as educators are concerned is one of retired teachers. Teachers do not receive Social Security. They receive money from the Teacher’s Retirement System. That money comes from pay deductions throughout their teaching degree. Guess where some of the pension reform deficit got cut from?

Teachers who retired under the TRS program will — if Senate Bill 1 escapes the grasp of the Illinois courts — see their pensions reduced. Basically, money they paid into their retirement will go somewhere else instead of their retirement. How many current teachers are going to stay in Illinois when they have that to look forward to?

Problem 2: The bill will also shift the responsibility of paying those retirement benefits away from the state of Illinois. Who gets the bill? If you guessed the currently underfunded school system, you’re right.

Under Senate Bill 16, almost all Illinois schools will still be underfunded. Senate Bill 1 will rip the beating heart out of the education system.

But hey, at least your legislators are getting a paycheck ...

Shaw Media staff writer Ken Schroeder can be reached at kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com.