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Late payments hurt K-12 students

By Noah Bond

JONESBORO, Ill. -- A state's budget crisis is forcing local schools to consider borrowing money or pushing for a tax hike to keep class in session. Illinois has made late payments to its schools for at least two years, but area superintendents say the problem is growing and there is no solution in sight.

Students in Jonesboro have lost support. At least three teachers aids, the art teacher and computer lab teacher were all laid-off to save money. Now, the school is dipping into its savings because the state is $500,000 behind on payments.

Classroom budgets in the district can't take another cut. School leaders now fear the money to buy basic supplies could evaporate by next year if the state continues to miss payments. There is no plan to raise property taxes now, but school leaders are preparing just in case. "I don't think that people locally who are paying property taxes should be punished because the state isn't doing its job," said Tammy Hutcheson who teaches school in the district.

WPSD contacted 20 superintendents in southern Illinois. Marion school leaders say they could run out of money this spring if the state continues to miss payments. School leaders in Christopher say the state is behind $244,000 in payments. "The only people that can fix this problem is not the Governor, not the Comptroller's Office, not the State Board of Education. It's the legislature, they're the only ones that can fix this problem," said Jonesboro Superintendent Gary Hill.

Rep. John Bradley of Marion said, "When your schools are suffering that's a sign things are really bad. We've got to come up with a spending plan to figure out what we can fund and what we can't." Hill says most lawmakers are looking the other way because they're afraid of losing votes if they take a stand to balance the budget, especially with the coming February election.

"I want the state legislature to get together and do their job, what they're supposed to do. I want people to rise up and make it clear that we aren't getting things in public education that we need to get," said Hutcheson.