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WNIJ's summary of news items around our state.

School Districts Facing Worst Money Problems Will Get Some Financial Relief

Flickr user Daniel Borman / "Money, Money, Money" (CC BY 2.0)

Illinois schools were not spared from the recent state budget cuts. But a $97 million fund was established to help the most cash-strapped districts pay their bills until the end of the school year.

Schools that qualify have limited local resources, a higher concentration of low-income students and very little cash on hand.

Robert Wolfe, who is the chief financial officer of the state school board, says the last minute cuts will affect every school district.

"Making reduction to the schools budget in the current school year particularly in the 4th quarter is unprecedented and provides no opportunity for schools districts to plan or even respond with staff reduction," Wolfe said. "Every school district will lose funds."   

Wolfe told legislators yesterday there was still not enough to go around.

“We redistribute every year so I don’t want you to give anybody the idea that school funding is static," Wolfe said. "There are winners and losers every year when the agency does its work based on variables in the budget." 

The bottom line: Even the neediest districts won't get enough to cover the full amount of the budget reductions. Schools are also waiting to see the funding picture for the next budget year, which begins in July.

  • WUIS’s Brittanie Brooks contributed to this story.
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