Distributed via Email: August 3, 2009

K-12 EDUCATION SURVIVES GOVERNOR'S CUTS

On Friday, Governor Pat Quinn announced a series of budget cuts that add up to about $1 billion, though K-12 public education was spared. In fact, the governor added funding to certain Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) budget line items.

The Illinois General Assembly approved a final Fiscal Year 2010 State budget in mid-July, and the governor immediately signed it into law (see Alliance Legislative Report 96-27). In that budget many state programs were underfunded; the governor was charged with the task of allocating the funds to programs and services he wished to be funded while cutting other programs. There was $3.4 billion in "unallocated" lump sums – $2.2 billion for human services and $1.2 billion for other parts of the state budget.

From this $1.2 billion, Governor Quinn added funding to the ISBE – above the level approved by the legislature and enacted in July. The governor added the following amounts to these ISBE budget line items:

• $1.4 million for the "Grow Your Own Teachers" Program (for a total FY '10 budget of $3.15 million)
• $85 million for early childhood education (for a total FY '10 budget of $342.2 million)
• $1.6 million to the Re-Enrollment Student Program (for a total FY '10 budget of $3.6 million)
• $8 million to the Truant Alternative & Optional Education Program (for a total FY '10 budget of $18 million)
• $1.3 million to the Agricultural Education Program (for a total FY '10 budget of $3 million)
• $4.3 million to the Alternative Education/Safe Schools Program (for a total FY '10 budget of $16.7 million)
• $11.3 million for Bilingual Education (for a total FY '10 budget of $16.7 million)
• $30 million to the Reading Improvement Block Grant (for a total FY '10 budget of $68.5 million)
• $5 million to the "After School Matters" Program (previously unfunded)
• $1 million to the "Classroom Cubed" Program (previously unfunded)

A line by line graphic of the governor's action can be found here.

Governor Quinn is still pushing for additional state revenues through an increase in the state's income tax rate to address the unfunded programs throughout state government. He has pledged to continue this fight when the legislature returns to work in October. According to the governor, there are still $1.4 billion in "unmet needs" throughout the state budget. In Friday's re-allocations, the governor attempted to add funding to meet these programmatic needs:

• Provide court-ordered services
• Preserve programs required by federal government
• Maximize state programs reimbursed or matched by federal funds
• To extent possible, provide programs required by state statute
• Support programs that meet basic health, life and safety needs
• Reduce demands on higher-cost programs by investing in less costly prevention and intervention services

The power point presentation of the governor's allocation plan can be found here.

This legislative report is written and edited by the lobbyists of the Illinois Association of School Boards to provide information to the members of the organizations that comprise the Illinois Statewide School Management Alliance.

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