Schools ‘Dodged a Bullet,' But Financial Future Still Uncertain, Official Says

School officials may have breathed a sigh of relief last week after Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan to shift part of the state’s massive pension liability onto local schools, but it could be short lived.

On Monday, Board of Education president Roger Bonuchi weighed in on education funding cuts, passed by the General Assembly two days after Madigan’s plan was dropped.

The $6.5 billion education appropriations bill is expected to.

“They say the foundation level is going to remain unchanged,” Bonuchi said, referring to the per-student allotment school districts receive from the state, currently set at $6,119.

But the rate at which funding is doled out to school districts, however, is expected to drop from 95 percent to 89 percent.

As for what that will mean for District 202’s coffers if Gov. Pat Quinn signs the budget, “It’s too early to tell,” Bonuchi said.

“If this winds up going through, we’ll have to take another look at our budget,” Bonuchi said. Because of state-mandated deadlines, “Unfortunately, what happens is we wind up adopting our budget before the state decides what we’re going to get.”

Whether the funding changes could mean program or staffing cuts, Bonuchi said, “I can’t say for sure.”

The budget also contains a $24.9 million decrease in early childhood education funding and a $15 million drop in special education funding, Bonuchi said.

Last week, fellow board members — at Quinn’s urging — to drop his plan to shift the $44 billion Teachers Retirement System pension liability onto local school districts.

The plan was part of Senate Bill 1673, which was never called for a vote by House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego.

“I think we dodged a bullet,” Bonuchi said, noting the plan could have cost District 202 more than $10 million per year.

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