finance and budgets | catalyst-chicago.org

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School closings

As CPS prepares to close a record number of schools, the fate of students and communities is in question.

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finance and budgets

State school budget cuts hit special populations July 21, 2009 The oldest, youngest and neediest of Illinois school children suffered the biggest hits as a reluctant Illinois State Board of Education, on orders from the General Assembly, slashed spending by $475 million. The cuts represent nearly half of last year’s state spending on such specialty grant programs as alternative and safe schools, early childhood education and Grow Your Own teacher preparation. The silver lining in this cloud was an increase in general state aid that Gov. Quinn signed into law. It raises the per-pupil “foundation” level by $160 to $6,119. As a result, the net decrease in spending was only $146 million. Neither state nor Chicago school officials could say what the impact of Tuesday’s cuts would be on Chicago Schools, which face a $475 – and growing – revenue shortfall. A state spokesman said the intention was to spread the pain equally across the state. Read More \| (1) Comments	Lawmakers try to strike deals on school funding, more charters May 29, 2009 SPRINGFIELD: With the end of the current legislative session just two days away, some Illinois lawmakers are proposing to funnel billions of new dollars to education. But their proposal would require an income tax hike that may be too big for some colleagues to swallow. Another proposal would raise the state's charter cap and give Chicago 10 more charters. Members of the Senate Education Committee on Friday haggled over revisions to Senate Bill 750. On Friday, committee members included a new provision to increase the corporate income tax from 4.8 percent to 7.2 percent. The personal income tax would increase from 3 percent to 5 percent. If passed, SB750 could mean almost $2.5 billion for schools statewide next year, according to state Sen. James Meeks. Read More \| (10) Comments
Education funding takes a step forward in Illinois Senate May 22, 2009 By: Lorraine Forte Could the state’s budget deficit be a blessing in disguise for education funding? That might turn out to be the case, if state Sen James Meeks is successful in finally getting Senate Bill 750 passed into law. What’s different this time around is that the proposal takes aim not just at school funding, but the state’s crippling $11 billion deficit. The proposal would raise $1 billion for schools, $1 billion for capital projects and $4 billion for the state’s general revenue fund. Read More \| (0) Comments	Making cuts, shifting spending: Sec'y Duncan unveils first budget May 07, 2009 By: Lorraine Forte More classroom time, more early education and more incentives for school staff are at the top of the agenda for next year under a proposed $47.6 billion federal education budget unveiled Thursday. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan talked about the 2010 education budget in a telephone press conference with reporters, where he repeatedly stressed that his goal was to cut wasteful or ineffective programs and shift spending with a “laser-like focus” toward initiatives that aim to improve the worst-performing schools. Read More \| (2) Comments
Central office braces for layoffs May 07, 2009 By: Sarah Karp With a looming $475 million deficit, central office is abuzz with rumors of impending layoffs this month. Today, a CPS spokeswoman confirms that layoffs are “anticipated,” but declined to say when they would occur. Such steps are in line with what is happening at City Hall, where Mayor Richard Daley announced drastic cost-cutting measures, including 14-day furloughs for non-union employees, were in the works to offset its $300 million deficit. Read More \| (10) Comments	School funding lawsuit leaps 'major hurdle' April 16, 2009 By: John Myers Education advocates are savoring their first victory in a legal case challenging Illinois’ school funding system and say the win comes at a critical juncture in state budget talks. Cook County Circuit Court Judge Martin S. Agran threw out four discrimination counts levied against the state by the Chicago Urban League and its partners in the case; counts that largely rehashed failed arguments used in previous lawsuits. But Agran bolstered the Urban League’s case by ruling that a fifth count, which relies on the state’s Civil Rights Act of 2003 to claim that the state’s funding system discriminates against minority children, features compelling evidence and deserves further exploration. Calling it a “major hurdle” cleared, Chicago Urban League President and CEO Cheryle Jackson says that no other challenge to the state’s inequitable funding system has made it this far in the legal process. Read More \| (3) Comments
Quinn budget would cover 10% of CPS deficit March 19, 2009 By: John Myers Pedro Martinez, chief financial officer for Chicago Public Schools, says Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget proposal would add about $50 million to the CPS operating budget. But with the district facing a $475 million budget hole, officials simply want more. It’s unclear how CPS would close the remaining $425 million deficit, should Quinn’s proposal survive the legislative process. Martinez would only add: “They’ve [increased funding by] at least $100 million in recent years. What we’re hoping we’re going to see is more money for education.” Read More \| (0) Comments	Quinn's budget: Amid cuts, more money for schools March 18, 2009 By: John Myers Schools will get a break under Gov. Pat Quinn’s plan to pay down the state’s $11.8 billion deficit with a mix of program cuts, tax hikes and new fees. But the spending boost for education relies heavily on federal stimulus funds, and overall per-pupil funding from the state will rise by just $130 per child. “To be direct and honest – our state is facing the greatest crisis of modern times,” Quinn said today in his speech to the General Assembly. Sprinkled throughout his remarks, he called upon legislators to protect education spending and put children first, for the state’s long-term economic interests. “Jobs follow brainpower, and Illinois needs all the brainpower it can muster in the 21st Century,” Quinn noted. Read More \| (1) Comments
CPS faces biggest deficit in years: $475 million March 11, 2009 By: John Myers The annual budget-wrangling has begun. Chicago Public Schools officials have projected a gaping $475 million hole—the largest in a decade—in the district’s $5.4 billion fiscal year 2010 operating budget. Armed with the figure, district leaders will spend the next three months hammering out cost-cutting measures with unions and badgering state lawmakers for extra cash. Today’s press conference also made clear that the windfall of dollars going directly to districts from the federal stimulus package for education will make barely a dent in the deficit. CPS estimates its cut at $190 million, but only $50 million can be used to help fill the gap in the general operating budget. The rest must be spent on new programs in specific areas, like tutoring and after-school programs. Read More \| (0) Comments