The Latest Edition of Dr. Griffin's "Supt Scoop"
Thursday, February 15, 2018
February 15, 2018 | |
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Friday, April 21, 2017
Happy Friday EagleNation,
I hope everyone enjoyed the Easter holiday and spring break with their families. There is nothing that recharges my battery more than spending time with those I love and cherish most. It’s hard to believe that we only have 4 weeks of school left. The last day of school is on May 23rd, which is a half-day for school improvement.
I enjoyed a fantastic evening last night at Lewis & Clark Community College celebrating the top 8% of the class of 2017 at the Silver Medallion awards dinner. It’s always encouraging to sit and listen to the college plans and courses of study our students and others in the area plan to pursue during the next leg of their journey. The students we celebrated included: Ethan Cain, Kennedy Carnes, Brandon Carpenter, Mallory Griggs, Jaxsen Helmkamp, Kaitlyn Kappler, Samantha Mann, Liliana Mueller, Dalton Myers, Dylan Short, Rachel Stilwell, Kylee Thoroughman and Alexandrea Troeckler. And just when you thought the night couldn’t get any better, Brandon Carpenter was named the 2017 Scholastic Athlete of the Year at the Silver Medallion Banquet, which was a signficiant accomplishment for such an amazing young man. Brandon wrestles and plays baseball for CM while maintaining an exceptionally high GPA. Civic was well represented last night and we are proud of our Silver Medallion Award Recipents! I have been searching for a picture of the entire group, but LCCC hasn’t posted the pictures on their flickr site yet, and as I was in the photo, I didn’t get one myself. I do have one to share of our 2017 Athlete of the Year.
As I mentioned in the last edition of the supt scoop, the district joined many other school districts in filing a lawsuit against the state of Illinois and the Illinois State Board of Education. The district spent $1,000 to join the suit, in hopes that much more will be recovered if we are successful. This is also a political move, as districts across the state are aligning themselves to “push back” against the state in an effort to see the governor and state legislators reach across the aisle and pass a budget. You will see additional information coming out as an additional initiative will be gaining momentum as superintendents across the state have joined together to call on members of the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor to do the following:
In closing, our students returned from Spring Break on Monday and began taking the PARCC assessment on Tuesday, April 18th in grades 3-8. PARCC is the state mandated assessment our students take to demonstrate mastery of the Math and English Language Arts learning standards we teach in each grade level. Each of the testing buildings (Parkside 3rd grade only, Meadowbrook and Trimpe) have sent home information specific to the assessment to ensure parents are informed. Prior to Spring Break , our juniors took the SAT, they are no longer required to take the PARCC assessment at the high school level.
As we wind down the 2016-17 school year please remind your kiddos to finish strong, as it’s easy to slip into that “summer mode” with the warmer temperatures. We always appreciate the home/school connection and having the support of our parents. Enjoy your weekend!
Respectfully,
Jill Griffin, Superintendent
See the attached Supt Scoop
I hope everyone enjoyed the Easter holiday and spring break with their families. There is nothing that recharges my battery more than spending time with those I love and cherish most. It’s hard to believe that we only have 4 weeks of school left. The last day of school is on May 23rd, which is a half-day for school improvement.
I enjoyed a fantastic evening last night at Lewis & Clark Community College celebrating the top 8% of the class of 2017 at the Silver Medallion awards dinner. It’s always encouraging to sit and listen to the college plans and courses of study our students and others in the area plan to pursue during the next leg of their journey. The students we celebrated included: Ethan Cain, Kennedy Carnes, Brandon Carpenter, Mallory Griggs, Jaxsen Helmkamp, Kaitlyn Kappler, Samantha Mann, Liliana Mueller, Dalton Myers, Dylan Short, Rachel Stilwell, Kylee Thoroughman and Alexandrea Troeckler. And just when you thought the night couldn’t get any better, Brandon Carpenter was named the 2017 Scholastic Athlete of the Year at the Silver Medallion Banquet, which was a signficiant accomplishment for such an amazing young man. Brandon wrestles and plays baseball for CM while maintaining an exceptionally high GPA. Civic was well represented last night and we are proud of our Silver Medallion Award Recipents! I have been searching for a picture of the entire group, but LCCC hasn’t posted the pictures on their flickr site yet, and as I was in the photo, I didn’t get one myself. I do have one to share of our 2017 Athlete of the Year.
As I mentioned in the last edition of the supt scoop, the district joined many other school districts in filing a lawsuit against the state of Illinois and the Illinois State Board of Education. The district spent $1,000 to join the suit, in hopes that much more will be recovered if we are successful. This is also a political move, as districts across the state are aligning themselves to “push back” against the state in an effort to see the governor and state legislators reach across the aisle and pass a budget. You will see additional information coming out as an additional initiative will be gaining momentum as superintendents across the state have joined together to call on members of the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor to do the following:
- Immediately and with bipartisan support end the state budget impasse
- Fix the education formula and invest in students and schools throughout the state, including higher education
- Pay school districts what they are owed this year
In closing, our students returned from Spring Break on Monday and began taking the PARCC assessment on Tuesday, April 18th in grades 3-8. PARCC is the state mandated assessment our students take to demonstrate mastery of the Math and English Language Arts learning standards we teach in each grade level. Each of the testing buildings (Parkside 3rd grade only, Meadowbrook and Trimpe) have sent home information specific to the assessment to ensure parents are informed. Prior to Spring Break , our juniors took the SAT, they are no longer required to take the PARCC assessment at the high school level.
As we wind down the 2016-17 school year please remind your kiddos to finish strong, as it’s easy to slip into that “summer mode” with the warmer temperatures. We always appreciate the home/school connection and having the support of our parents. Enjoy your weekend!
Respectfully,
Jill Griffin, Superintendent
See the attached Supt Scoop
supt_scoop_4-21-17.pdf | |
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Wednesday, April 5, 2017
April 5, 2017
Dear Bethalto School District Families:
You may see some information in the local print and television media regarding a lawsuit that the Bethalto School District, along with other school districts, recently filed against the State of Illinois, Governor Bruce Rauner, and the Illinois State Board of Education. This letter is to provide you with some information regarding the lawsuit.
At the February 28th Board of Education meeting, the Bethalto School Board unanimously approved a resolution to file suit against the State of Illinois for failing to adequately fund State-issued mandates regarding the Illinois Learning Standards. The Bethalto School District is one of seventeen school districts across Illinois, with more expected to join in the coming weeks, demanding that the State of Illinois meet its constitutional duties to:
- 1) Ensure all children in Illinois receive a “high quality” education and;
- 2) Fund school districts adequately and equitably so each and every school can offer all students
the “high quality” education they deserve.
Initially, the State adopted new English Language Arts and Math standards and we have been working towards aligning ourselves to them as a district. In subsequent years, the State has adopted Science standards and most recently adopted new Social Studies standards. The State just continues to increase standards through unfunded mandates without additional revenue to support their implementation. We are surviving in times of unprecedented accountability by the State, while experiencing unprecedented cuts to our revenue from the State.
At our March 27th, Board of Education meeting, the Board approved a 2.2 million dollar deficit reduction plan, cutting over 2.2 million dollars from next year's budget, simply to balance the books. This was not a decision that our Board or I took lightly.
Over the past 6-8 years, the Bethalto School District, has lost over 5.6 million dollars due to the proration of General State Aid and the proration of transportation reimbursement from the State. This
year alone, the State has yet to make 1.7 million dollars of categorical payments to support special education services, transportation, and early childhood education. This includes $0.00 to support our special education students and $0.00 to help transport our students to and from school. This is the information we continue to share with you in our parent messages. Leaders in Springfield have proudly announced education funding has reached record-high levels this year, that is simply misleading.
School districts in Illinois have endured funding shortages and proration the last 6-8 years, costing districts throughout Illinois billions of dollars. Furthermore, the State dollars that are flowing are being emptied into a school funding system that ranks as one of the least equitable in the nation. We see remarkable disparities in funding levels between the wealthiest districts and the least affluent districts. This is not just happening in Chicago, southern Illinois is suffering too. On average, Illinois school districts with the greatest number of low-income students receive 20% less funding than students from wealthier districts.
A bi-partisan commission in Springfield declared that the current funding system is broken, however our Governor and legislative leaders have been unwilling to compromise in the best interest of our students. We welcome setting high standards, holding our students accountable to high expectations, and operating our districts as efficiently as possible. However, even with the highest and most rigorous standards in the history of our State, they alone will have little impact if we do not have the resources required to help students meet those standards. The State must provide adequate and equitable funding based on each district’s unique needs.
Districts face instability year in and year out because of revenue cuts, inequitable funding, and unfunded mandates. The current practice must change; our students are the ones who suffer. School districts across Illinois would not take on the arduous task of bringing this lawsuit forward unless we believed that we have unquestionably reached a breaking point. Enough is enough and we must draw the line. Our children, our teachers, and our communities deserve better. Until the State enacts an education funding system that adequately and equitably funds every school district in Illinois, we are unwilling to maintain a status quo that puts the future of our students at risk.
We appreciate your continued support of the Bethalto School District and we are committed to continuing the fight to ensure that our district, schools, and students receive the adequate and equitable funding that they rightfully deserve and are Constitutionally guaranteed.
Respectfully,
Jill R. Griffin, E.D. Superintendent of Schools
District News and Information | |
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Monday, April 3, 2017
Dear Unit 8 families,
This is a friendly reminder that tomorrow is election day. Below is a graphic outlining how our school board plans to use dollars generated from the one cent sales tax to provide future property tax relief to the residents of the Bethalto School District.
Friendly reminder, Kindergarten Round-up is this evening from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Bethalto East Elementary.
Have a great evening,
Jill Griffin
This is a friendly reminder that tomorrow is election day. Below is a graphic outlining how our school board plans to use dollars generated from the one cent sales tax to provide future property tax relief to the residents of the Bethalto School District.
Friendly reminder, Kindergarten Round-up is this evening from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Bethalto East Elementary.
Have a great evening,
Jill Griffin
Friday, March 24, 2017
Good Afternoon, The Board of Education voted unanimously in February to give 50% of dollars generated by this tax back to the district taxpayers through property tax relief in a public action during open session. If you would like to know how much property tax relief you can anticipate, please visit the district website and scroll through the slides labeled 1 cent sales tax. Please inform yourself and vote on April 4th. We have attached a copy of the Board's resolution from February as evidence of the district's commitment to making property tax relief a reality through the use of the 1 cent sales tax while we continue to provide a quality education for our students. Enjoy your weekend, Jill
Friday, March 17, 2017
Happy St. Patrick’s Day EagleNation,
I’m very excited to see the CMHS play production of Cinderella this evening, our kids have worked so hard and I look forward to seeing them in action. They are performing tomorrow night at 7 and Sunday afternoon at 2:00 as well. There was a great article in the Telegraph highlighting the performance. Very proud of our thespians and music students participating.
Kindergarten round-up has been moved to Monday, April 3rd from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Round-up will be held at Bethalto East, as it will provide students with an opportunity to ride the school bus, go through the cafeteria, visit classrooms and the playground.
This is a friendly reminder that Thursday, March 23rd is a School Improvement Day and will be an early dismissal. I’m sure you all have Spring break on your radar as well, but the students are off the week of April 10th for break as well. Classes resume on Monday, April 17th.
Update on School Funding
One week into 4th quarter, having completed over 75% of the school year, we have only received $78,850 (4%) of the state's $1.7 million mandated categorical and grant payments for the current school year. The state continues to fail in its Constitutional obligation to our schools and students, especially our most vulnerable students.
As of March 17, 2017, the State has provided the following categorical and grant payments to the school district:
$0.00 (0%) of its $913,400 commitment to support our special education students $0.00 (0%) of its $371,400 commitment to provide our general education students with bus transportation $0.00 (0%) of its $195,800 commitment to provide our special education students with bus transportation $950 (31%) of its $3,100 commitment to provide meals for our low-income students $60,300 (33%) of its $180,900 commitment to support early childhood education $10,600 (50%) of its $21,200 commitment to support driver's education
Letters to State Officials
On Tuesday, March 1st, the Board of Education sent letters to the following state officials outlining the significant financial situation our school district is presently facing as a result of the state's failure to adequately fund our school district and requesting their support. To date, the responses we have received from these officials are as follows:
Governor Bruce Rauner - no response Speaker Mike Madigan - no response Senate President John Cullerton - no response State Representative Daniel Beiser - no response State Senator William Haine - no response
Please consider contacting these individuals and requesting that they commit themselves to fully supporting our students and schools. They have heard from us, but it always helps when they hear from you as well.
Governor Rauner - 207 State Capitol Building, Springfield, IL 62706 - (217) 782-0244 Speaker Madigan - 300 State Capitol Building, Springfield, IL 62706 - (217) 782-5350 President Cullerton - 327 State Capitol Building, Springfield, IL 62706 - (217) 782-2728 Representative Beiser - 263-S Stratton Office Building, Springfield, IL 62706 - (217) 782-5996 Senator Haine - 311C State Capitol Building, Springfield, IL 62706 - (217) 782-5247
1% County School Facilities Tax
On April 4th, 2017, voters in Madison County will have the opportunity to vote on a proposed 1% sales tax to support county schools. This tax is presently supporting school districts in 47 counties across Illinois. The Bethalto School District is projected to receive an additional yearly $1,400,000 in funding through the tax, about $560 per student. It is estimated that 30-40% of the revenue generated by the tax will come from individuals living outside of Madison County.
On Monday, February 28th, the Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution committing itself to using 50% of the potential $1.4 million to reduce property taxes for constituents. This equates to approximately $700,000 of property tax relief. Jersey Community Unit School District in Jersey County recently lowered its property tax rate by 10 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The Crab Orchard School District in Williams County lowered its property tax rate by 75-80 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. Property tax relief is a reality in other counties.
Although the district can't officially come out in support of the sales tax, we are committed to providing district residents with honest information regarding its value to our school community. Please take time to educate yourself about the benefits of the County School Facilities Tax for our school district and district residents. More information can be found at www.onecentmakessense.org.
The Board resolution committed the following:
At least 50% of CSFT revenue will be used to reduce property taxes for constituents. This amounts to an estimated rate decrease of 35 cents, which corresponds to a tax cut of $117 per $100,000 of property value or a potential savings of: $117 per year for a $100,000 home $175 per year for a $150,000 home $233 per year for a $200,000 home $292 per year for a $250,000 home CSFT revenue will help avoid the need to sell bonds or take out loans that would cause the district to incur additional debt and interest costs CSFT revenue will be used for the following district expenses: Fund ongoing yearly expenses such as parking lots, sidewalks, roofs, electrical and plumbing systems, and other repairs at our schools Update and increase safety features, such as updated video camera systems, secured entrances, enhanced lighting, and improved disabled access at our schools Replace existing HVAC units at schools which are reaching end of life and are costly to repair and maintain Update food service preparation and storage ability at our school cafeterias Maintain and update facilities on a schedule, as opposed to waiting until things fall apart Peruse energy efficiency measures at schools for additional long-term savings CSFT revenue will be used to increase fund balance reserves for larger building projects in the future, eliminating the need to raise property taxes
We appreciate your help and support in sharing the word regarding the financial challenges our district is facing at this time. We will continue to seek out resources and work towards continuing to provide our students with the high quality education that they deserve.
Respectfully,
Jill Griffin
Friday, March 10, 2017
March 10, 2017
Happy Friday EagleNation,
I hope everyone is enjoying the gorgeous weather today and bracing for what’s coming this weekend. It’s hard to imagine snow when we are springing forward in the middle of March, but it sounds like it’s going to happen.
I would like to congratulate our winter sports teams, we had a very successful winter season and we are very proud of the success you all experienced. Many individual records were set and teams advanced in post season play which is always exciting to watch in a small community like Bethalto. I always enjoy seeing the “sea of purple” at the games on the road and the hometown pride you all exhibit towards our high school programs.
I am counting down the days until the spring play begins at CM this year. Cinderella is going to start at the high school on Friday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m., March 18th at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 19that 2:00 p.m. I love the Disney plays, but I love to watch our own kid perform and it will surely be a huge success with our elementary kiddos too.
The Fine Arts banquet is tomorrow night at CM and tickets are still available at the door. Our Fine Arts friends always support various art, music and band programs across the district. They always have a great dinner, silent auction and live auction as well. It’s a great time had by all, and we appreciate all they do for the children in Unit #8.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Respectfully,
Jill Griffin, Superintendent
Happy Friday EagleNation,
I hope everyone is enjoying the gorgeous weather today and bracing for what’s coming this weekend. It’s hard to imagine snow when we are springing forward in the middle of March, but it sounds like it’s going to happen.
I would like to congratulate our winter sports teams, we had a very successful winter season and we are very proud of the success you all experienced. Many individual records were set and teams advanced in post season play which is always exciting to watch in a small community like Bethalto. I always enjoy seeing the “sea of purple” at the games on the road and the hometown pride you all exhibit towards our high school programs.
I am counting down the days until the spring play begins at CM this year. Cinderella is going to start at the high school on Friday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m., March 18th at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 19that 2:00 p.m. I love the Disney plays, but I love to watch our own kid perform and it will surely be a huge success with our elementary kiddos too.
The Fine Arts banquet is tomorrow night at CM and tickets are still available at the door. Our Fine Arts friends always support various art, music and band programs across the district. They always have a great dinner, silent auction and live auction as well. It’s a great time had by all, and we appreciate all they do for the children in Unit #8.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Respectfully,
Jill Griffin, Superintendent
Friday, March 3, 2017
Happy Friday EagleNation,
We hope to see all of you at the Boys Regional Championship game this evening at 7:00 p.m. at home. We play Breese Central, and we need a HUGE crowd to support our boys to an Eagle Victory.
We had a great turnout last night at our 2nd annual Community Night. There were over 800 people in attendance. We had many district volunteers who came out to work the event and it was a great time had by all. A special thanks to our Title team who organized the event, they spend countless hours preparing and we appreciate their time and efforts. The community night is funded by our Federal Title I grant.
Tuesday night the Board approved the district calendar for the 2017-18 school year, and the calendar is attached to this email. Please note the graduation date is included in this calendar.
We also set summer registration dates for the upcoming school year as follows:
Thursday, July 27th from 1:00-7:00 p.m.
Friday, July 28th from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Monday, July 31st from 1:00-7:00 p.m.
Central Registration will be held at Trimpe Middle School. More information to come on this.
1% County School Facilities Tax
On April 4th, 2017, voters in Madison County will have the opportunity to vote on a proposed 1% sales tax to support county schools. This tax is presently supporting school districts in 47 counties across Illinois. The Bethalto School District is projected to receive an additional yearly $1,400,000 in funding through the tax, about $560 per student. It is estimated that 30-40% of the revenue generated by the tax will come from individuals living outside of Madison County. The district is committed and the Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday night to use the potential sales tax revenue as follows:
o $175 per year for a $150,000 home
o $233 per year for a $200,000 home
o $292 per year for a $250,000 home
o Update and increase safety features, such as updated video camera systems, secured entrances, enhanced lighting, and improved disabled access at our schools
o Replace existing HVAC units at schools which are reaching end of life and are costly to repair and maintain
o Update food service preparation and storage ability at our school cafeterias
o Maintain and update facilities on a schedule, as opposed to waiting until things fall apart
o Peruse energy efficiency measures at schools for additional long-term savings
· CSFT revenue will be used to increase fund balance reserves for larger building projects in the future, eliminating the need to raise property taxes
Although the district can't officially come out in support of the sales tax, we are committed to providing district residents with honest information regarding its value to our school community. Please take time to educate yourself about the benefits of the County School Facilities Tax for our school district and district residents. More information can be found at www.onecentmakessense.org.
UPDATE ON SCHOOL FUNDING
As of March 3, 2017, the State of Illinois has provided $5,296,600 (59%) of its updated $8,963,500 commitment to fund general state aide for the Bethalto School District. However, the State has yet to issue any significant funding to the school district though mandated categorical and grant payments. These additional payments provide support for early childhood education, special education, bus transportation, etc.
As of March 3, 2017, the State has provided the following categorical and grant payments:
$0.00 (0%) of its updated $913,400 commitment to support our special education students
$0.00 (0%) of its $317,500 commitment to provide our general education students with bus transportation
$0.00 (0%) of its $195,800 commitment to provide our special education students with bus transportation
$950. (31%) of its $3,100 commitment to provide meals for low-income students
$60,300 (33%) of its $180,900 commitment to support early childhood education
$10,600 (50%) of its $21,200 commitment to support driver’s education
Although the State has provided 50% of its overall committed funding to the students of Bethalto School District, it has only provided 4% of its committed funding for student bus transportation and for the education and wellbeing of our most vulnerable students.
Furthermore, the State has indicated that we are likely to receive only two of our four mandated categorical payments this school year. This will result in the updated loss of $842,900 of funding for our students. The State has also failed to fully support bus transportation over the past seven years, resulting in the loss of $1,100,000. These losses rest on top of the State’s failure to fully support general state aide during the past seven years, which resulted in the loss of $4,500,000 in funding for our students.
In addition to the State’s failure to fully support the education of our students, the decline in Equalized Assessed Valuation resulted in an additional loss of $1,545,000 in local revenue for our school district. This brings the total loss of revenue to our school district to around $8,000,000 over the past seven years.
Our school district faces significant financial challenges, in large part, because of the State of Illinois’ continued failure to meet its Constitutional obligation to our students and schools.
Thank you for your unwavering support, and we hope to see everyone tonight at the big game.
Respectfully,
Jill Griffin
#GoEagles
We hope to see all of you at the Boys Regional Championship game this evening at 7:00 p.m. at home. We play Breese Central, and we need a HUGE crowd to support our boys to an Eagle Victory.
We had a great turnout last night at our 2nd annual Community Night. There were over 800 people in attendance. We had many district volunteers who came out to work the event and it was a great time had by all. A special thanks to our Title team who organized the event, they spend countless hours preparing and we appreciate their time and efforts. The community night is funded by our Federal Title I grant.
Tuesday night the Board approved the district calendar for the 2017-18 school year, and the calendar is attached to this email. Please note the graduation date is included in this calendar.
We also set summer registration dates for the upcoming school year as follows:
Thursday, July 27th from 1:00-7:00 p.m.
Friday, July 28th from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Monday, July 31st from 1:00-7:00 p.m.
Central Registration will be held at Trimpe Middle School. More information to come on this.
1% County School Facilities Tax
On April 4th, 2017, voters in Madison County will have the opportunity to vote on a proposed 1% sales tax to support county schools. This tax is presently supporting school districts in 47 counties across Illinois. The Bethalto School District is projected to receive an additional yearly $1,400,000 in funding through the tax, about $560 per student. It is estimated that 30-40% of the revenue generated by the tax will come from individuals living outside of Madison County. The district is committed and the Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday night to use the potential sales tax revenue as follows:
- At least 50% of CSFT revenue will be used to reduce property taxes for constituents. This amounts to an estimated rate decrease of 35 cents, which corresponds to a tax cut of $117 per $100,000 of property value or a potential savings of:
o $175 per year for a $150,000 home
o $233 per year for a $200,000 home
o $292 per year for a $250,000 home
- CSFT revenue will help avoid the need to sell bonds or take out loans that would cause the district to incur additional debt and interest costs
- CSFT revenue will be used for the following district expenses:
o Update and increase safety features, such as updated video camera systems, secured entrances, enhanced lighting, and improved disabled access at our schools
o Replace existing HVAC units at schools which are reaching end of life and are costly to repair and maintain
o Update food service preparation and storage ability at our school cafeterias
o Maintain and update facilities on a schedule, as opposed to waiting until things fall apart
o Peruse energy efficiency measures at schools for additional long-term savings
· CSFT revenue will be used to increase fund balance reserves for larger building projects in the future, eliminating the need to raise property taxes
Although the district can't officially come out in support of the sales tax, we are committed to providing district residents with honest information regarding its value to our school community. Please take time to educate yourself about the benefits of the County School Facilities Tax for our school district and district residents. More information can be found at www.onecentmakessense.org.
UPDATE ON SCHOOL FUNDING
As of March 3, 2017, the State of Illinois has provided $5,296,600 (59%) of its updated $8,963,500 commitment to fund general state aide for the Bethalto School District. However, the State has yet to issue any significant funding to the school district though mandated categorical and grant payments. These additional payments provide support for early childhood education, special education, bus transportation, etc.
As of March 3, 2017, the State has provided the following categorical and grant payments:
$0.00 (0%) of its updated $913,400 commitment to support our special education students
$0.00 (0%) of its $317,500 commitment to provide our general education students with bus transportation
$0.00 (0%) of its $195,800 commitment to provide our special education students with bus transportation
$950. (31%) of its $3,100 commitment to provide meals for low-income students
$60,300 (33%) of its $180,900 commitment to support early childhood education
$10,600 (50%) of its $21,200 commitment to support driver’s education
Although the State has provided 50% of its overall committed funding to the students of Bethalto School District, it has only provided 4% of its committed funding for student bus transportation and for the education and wellbeing of our most vulnerable students.
Furthermore, the State has indicated that we are likely to receive only two of our four mandated categorical payments this school year. This will result in the updated loss of $842,900 of funding for our students. The State has also failed to fully support bus transportation over the past seven years, resulting in the loss of $1,100,000. These losses rest on top of the State’s failure to fully support general state aide during the past seven years, which resulted in the loss of $4,500,000 in funding for our students.
In addition to the State’s failure to fully support the education of our students, the decline in Equalized Assessed Valuation resulted in an additional loss of $1,545,000 in local revenue for our school district. This brings the total loss of revenue to our school district to around $8,000,000 over the past seven years.
Our school district faces significant financial challenges, in large part, because of the State of Illinois’ continued failure to meet its Constitutional obligation to our students and schools.
Thank you for your unwavering support, and we hope to see everyone tonight at the big game.
Respectfully,
Jill Griffin
#GoEagles