The Board’s Legislative Committee welcomed local dignitaries to a special “Coffee with the Legislators” meeting on April 6. This meeting replaced the Board’s annual Legislative Breakfast, which was canceled due to the snow day. Sen. John Curran, Rep. David Olsen, Hillary Denk (a representative from U.S. Rep. Bill Foster’s office) and Chris Jordan (a representative from U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam’s office) attended and engaged in a respectful conversation regarding educational issues affecting District 58.
The meeting’s topics covered potential property tax freezes, the new evidence-based school funding model, and unfunded mandate relief.
The Legislative Committee noted that a proposed two-year property tax freeze would deplete the District’s fund balance by more than half – or $11 million – in just five years, creating a major financial hardship. The legislators acknowledged the complexity of this issue, emphasizing that the State plans to continue to prioritize education while resolving its financial challenges.
“We need to continue to work on this issue. We want to make sure that Illinois is an affordable place for people to live and do business. We want Illinois to be an attractive place for job creators to locate, and at the same time we need to support our schools and ensure they’re adequately funded,” said Rep. Olsen.
Sen. Curran agreed.
“School funding will continue to be a priority as we look to the future,” said Sen. Curran. “It’s part of the design of the new evidence-based funding model. The State has serious financial challenges to resolve, especially concerning pensions and Medicaid. School funding is a priority, and as citizens, we have an obligation to provide a high-quality education to all children.”
The dignitaries also encouraged schools to partner with them to identify ways to offer unfunded mandate relief. Since 1991, the Illinois General Assembly has imposed 145 unfunded mandates on school districts.
Superintendent Dr. Kari Cremascoli shared that while most unfunded mandates are great ideas, they often necessitate time-intensive research, tracking and reporting work, which takes teachers and administrators away from their primary priority: to teach children.
“As you consider new mandates, please think about what is will mean for local school districts. How will they report it? What time commitment and resources will they need?” Dr. Cremascoli said. “At the end of the day, our focus is to help kids learn and become great citizens.”
District 58 sincerely thanks Rep. Olsen, Sen. Curran, Ms. Denk and Mr. Jordan for participating in a friendly and informative conversation on educational issues affecting our schools and students. We appreciate your time!