CAT Tracks for July 26, 2004 IEA - CAPITOL REPORT

Below is a report from the IEA on the educational impact of the budget passed by the General Assembly last week...

Capitol Report

7/26/2004

A Publication of the Government Relations Department

Budget Finally Approved - Education the Big Winner

After nearly two months of overtime session, the General Assembly and the governor finally agreed on a budget for this fiscal year. Press accounts report that education was the big winner.

IEA began discussions with legislative leaders and the governor this spring with three priorities.

· Fund elementary and secondary education programs so that local associations could have the most flexibility in deciding how the state money should be allocated. This meant that IEA focused on three major and equal areas: general state aid, mandated categoricals and the ADA block grant. In this way, local associations could use the money to reduce class size, fund salaries and benefits or fund any other locally determined priority.

· Fund higher education overall at least at the same level as last year.

· Fund the state retirement systems at their recommended level under the Continuing Appropriations law.

IEA was successful in all these areas! While other non-education state programs will have their budget cut by as much as 4%, education will not.

Elementary and secondary education programs received an increase of slightly more than $360 million, nearly the amount advocated by Senate President Emil Jones and Governor Rod Blagojevich last spring. The general state aid formula will receive $212 million of the increase, which will increase the foundation level to nearly $5,000 per pupil. The formula will also include $16.5 million to assist those districts that lost money in the poverty grant component.

Special education personnel and special education transportation will be fully funded this year while the other mandated categorical programs will be funded at last year’s funding level – 97% proration overall.

In addition, there will be a $2 million increase for bilingual education, $12 million increase for the ADA block grant and a $30 million increase for early childhood education. Ten million dollars is also set aside for fast growing districts which could provide as much as $880 per student in the 35 fastest growing districts.

The education budget also adds $7.7 million ($2.5 million more than transition assistance in FY 04) to assure that no school district will receive less state money than they received last year. To assure that these appropriation levels may be achieved, the budget also reduced about $23 million from other Illinois State Board of Education programs.

Many of our locals will receive large increases in state money. Rockford, for example, will receive a 10.5% increase ($9.4 million), Springfield, an increase of 9.6% increase ($3.4 million), Freeport, an increase of 7.6% ($1.0 million), and the Carbondale High School District will receive an increase of 10.19% increase ($290,938).

While the average increase is just over 7%, visit the ISBE Website for an estimate on your district’s allocation: http://www.isbe.state.il.us/budget/county_order.pdf (NOTE: The projected increase in state funding for CSD #1 is $343,635.)

Despite calls for cuts in higher education funding, universities and colleges will not be reduced from last year’s overall levels and retirement systems will be fully funded. TRS will receive the same amount that they requested in the fall - $907 million, while the State Universities Retirement System will also be fully funded at $310 million.

Testing Limited to ESEA mandates

For several years, the IEA has advocated that the state testing schedule be limited to those required by the federal ESEA/No Child Left Behind Act, which includes reading, mathematics and science. This year as part of the budget debate, $6.3 million was removed from the assessment line item and reallocated to other ISBE programs.

Therefore, the writing (in grades 5 and 8), social science (now grades 3, 5 and 8), fine arts and PE/health tests will no longer be given.

Senate Approves ISBE Reorganization

Over the weekend, the Senate approved IEA-backed Senate Bill 3000, which implements the compromise agreement from both political parties that will mean unprecedented accountability for the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The bill was supported by Governor Blagojevich, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President Emil Jones, House Republican Leader Tom Cross and Senate Republican Leader Frank Watson who announced the compromise in late May. The bill is expected to be signed into law soon and will mean major changes in the way the ISBE operates, including:

· Immediately removes and governor replaces 7 of the 9 members of the State Board of Education.

· Ensures the state superintendent’s contract cannot be extended beyond the sitting governor’s last day of his or her current term in office.

· Requires the regional offices of education to assist schools in completing and submitting grant applications, to approve or deny any calendar changes for local schools and to review all initial teaching certificate applications.

End of Session Report

An End of Session Capitol Report will be posted on the Website by the end of the week.

Veto Session

When the General Assembly adjourned on Sunday, they are not scheduled to return to the Capitol until the Fall Veto Session - November 8, 9, 10, 16, 17 and 18.