Disproportionate spending causing havoc for downstate schools

ROCKFORD - Some Illinois lawmakers are blaming Chicago and Cook County for getting more than their fair share when it comes to education funding.

A closer look education funding in Illinois seems a little lopsided.  Now, some lawmakers are demanding the state make sure it's not unfairly distributing money.

Meanwhile, a local school district is now a year into it's contract negotiations with no sign of compromise, a common situation that might not be as contentious if funding was being shared equally.

At McNair Elementary in Winnebago teachers line the hallways to support their negotiating team as they head to the table in hopes of hammering out a multi-year contract.

"We want to put the money where the kids are at," said Winnebago Education Association spokesperson Kirsten Garrigan.  "And we see it not going in those directions."

Garrigan says teachers there haven't had a contract all year, and have seen teaching positions consolidated or removed.

"We seem to be getting more and more responsibilities with bigger class loads, and bigger responsibilities on top of that, and it is really hard to juggle them all," said Garrigan.

A situation many other downstate schools are seeing.  Some local lawmakers are now blaming these situations on a disproportionate amount of money going to fund Chicago and Cook County schools.

"Chicago has gamed the system and has nearly one billion dollars, of new money going to it,' said State Senator Kirk Dillard.

Senator Dillard and Senator Dave Syverson say records show in the last decade Chicago has gotten one billion dollars in education funding, money that came from the general state aid fund.  "At the expense of down state schools," said Dillard.

The money went there by way of poverty and property tax grants, money that could have been used to fund the state's pension system.

"It should be fair, and it's not," said Garrigan.

Lawmakers say Chicago schools 17-percent of the state's special education students, but gets 38-percent of the state's special education funds.

"We should be getting the same amount percentage of money for the same amount of kids," said Garrigan.  But they're not, and Senator Dillard says coupled with a collapsing pension system, the state has no money for other services.

"Pensions squeezes out our ability to really do anything," said Dillard.

Teachers in Winnebago plan to attend the school board meeting next Monday to show support for a healthy contract negotiation.

Our local lawmakers say they hope attention on the disproportionate spending will cause the state to make sure education funds are being distributed evenly moving forward.