The Oak Park District 97 School Legislation Line

(reprint with permission from the Legislative Action Committee.)

Here’s what we support in Springfield — and why you should, too.

High-quality public schools [is] a major reason many residents choose to live in Oak Park. Good schools are widely viewed as benefiting not only students, but as improving the atmosphere and property values of the community by attracting residents committed to educational excellence, and promoting tolerance, cultural richness and diversity.

To address our community’s high expectations for its public education system, Oak Park Elementary School District 97 is dedicated to providing effective instruction and special assistance when needed to enable our children to reach appropriate, measurable, academic goals in pursuit of their full educational potential. These promises to our future generations and to our community are articulated in District 97’s Culture of Achievement principles, which set clear policies and procedures for improving the performance and accountability of Oak Park’s public elementary schools.

However, a confluence of economic pressures and restrictive public financing policies are making it increasingly difficult to maintain a fiscally sound school system capable of delivering the essential educational programs required by our diverse student population. Over the past three years, these budgetary pressures have forced Oak Park’s public elementary schools to cut $3 million in classroom services to our children. Cuts include physical education and arts programs, and crucial staff needed to adapt standard school materials and curricula for special needs children.

Oak Park isn’t alone in paring such programs. School districts across the state are making similar cuts. Some are even closing schools early to close budget gaps. But it’s not enough — nearly 80% face budget deficits this year and next year looks even worse. Among the major factors driving our schools’ growing fiscal crisis:

• Insufficient state funding. The Illinois constitution requires the state provide 40% of funds for public education, but the state currently provides only 18%. The shortfall must be made up though a combination of school program cuts and increased local taxes — usually property taxes.
• Inadequate and unreliable property tax revenues. While state funding shortfalls force school districts to rely heavily on local property taxes, state law also caps how much those taxes can be raised. When combined with an unpredictable property tax appeals process, which reduces total property tax revenues by as much as $1 million annually in Oak Park, District 97 funding typically can grow no more than 2.5% annually.
• Spiraling insurance and payroll costs. Two-thirds of Oak Park public elementary school revenues go to pay teachers’ salaries and overhead costs, including health insurance, liability insurance, property upkeep, unemployment and workers’ compensation insurance —all of which are rising faster than overall inflation. Even with staff and program cutbacks, District 97 costs are rising about 3.5% annually.

These factors, along with state-mandated curricula and other unfunded requirements, conspire to effectively cut the budget for Oak Park’s public elementary schools by about 1% every year — an ongoing structural deficit that threatens the ability of District 97 and school districts throughout Illinois to carry out their vital educational mission.

Since this structural deficit is largely a creature of state law, it can best be addressed by changing state law. The purpose of the District 97 Legislative Advocacy Committee is to influence state tax policy and legislation to:

• Stabilize school district revenue streams through existing property tax and other funding mechanisms.
• Encourage the state to meet its constitutional obligation to fund public education.
• Reform state tax policy to reduce reliance on a property tax system that is of questionable fairness and is becoming economically unsustainable.

Bearing these facts and goals in mind, the Oak Park District 97 Legislative Advocacy Committee analyzes policy initiatives and legislation, develops recommendations to support or oppose measures, and issues alerts to community members to advocate for such measures.

Read the legislative outline (doc format - 44KB) of proposed measures currently before the Illinois House and Senate. For more information, visit the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability.