FULLY-FUNDED MYTH

FULLY-FUNDED MYTH

For the FY 2017 budget, the state fully funded the General State Aid foundation level of $6,119.  While, the outdated dollar amount of $6,119 is not prorated for the first time in six years, it is clearly under the Education Funding Advisory Board's most recent recommendation of a FY 2017 foundation level of $9,423.  The current Governor of Illinois, Mr. Bruce Rauner, and numerous legislators in the House of Representatives and Senate are using the lack of proration as the key point in their stance that

K-12 education has been fully funded for FY 2017.  Upon further inspection, as of March, 2017, fully funded is very inaccurate term to describe the concept of the state making all of their required payments to local school districts.  The State of Illinois is required to make mandated payments to districts in numerous categorical line-items.  GSA is just one of many mandated categorical payments that the state is required to pay and districts rely on to cover numerous expenses.  Four major mandated categorical payments that school districts depend on include:

1. 3105: Funding for Children Requiring Special Education Services

2. 3100: Special Education Personnel

3. 3500: Transportation - Regular and Vocational

4. 3510: Transportation - Special Education

Currently, ISBE has processed the first two payments for these four line-items and sent the proper notification the comptroller's office. The comptroller's office has not released the funding for two payments due in the first half of the 2016-2017 school year. When applying this lack of payments to Fulton County, Illinois school districts, the amount of unfunded liability placed on the districts can be eye-opening - For VIT these four line-items not being paid equals a current shortfall of $102,500.

Mike Curry, Ed.D.

Superintendent/Principal

VIT CUSD#2

309-758-5138

www.vit2.org

"It always seems impossible until it's done" 

Nelson Mandela