BIMP BILL Passed

After several weeks of waiting, both the Illinois House of Representatives and the Senate have passed SB 783, the Budget Implementation bill. Key provisions of this bill will ensure that no school receive less state support than received in FY 2007, increases personnel reimbursement for special education staff members, increases the Foundation Level by $400 to $5,734 per student and continues Poverty Grants to districts receiving supplemental general state aide based on Low Income Concentration levels. This bill also continues the valuable School Safety and Educational Improvement Block Grant but will dilute the impact of these dollars by allowing them to be distributed to non-public schools for the first time. In the next few weeks school district should begin to see increased levels of funding. As soon as Governor Blagojevich sign it. This is good news but does not address the lingering ever-present issue of school funding in Illinois. At some point, the legislature needs to deal with school funding rather than annually creating a “band-aid” solution. The state is in a fiscal crisis that demands attention!