Good afternoon.
This week I am happy to announce that Dr. Janet Steiner
was confirmed by the Senate as State Board Chair and that the House and Senate
have approved an education budget.
This message also
contains information on the following items:
·
State Board of Education meeting is
scheduled for June 16 and
17.
·
End of the Year Report must be
submitted via IWAS this year.
·
ISBE’s new Web-based system for
processing grant applications is being piloted.
·
“Click It or Ticket” car
safety-belt mobilization is underway.
House and Senate
Pass Education Budget
The Illinois House and Senate have both approved an
education budget totaling $6.4 billion in General Funds and will send the
measure to the Governor. But the issue is far from finally resolved, for two
main reasons: neither chamber has yet addressed the revenue side of the equation
– how to pay for the programs they have approved; and the Governor has line-item
veto power over the state budget, so he is able selectively to remove items for
whatever reason he deems appropriate.
So, next week promises to be another critical one for
education funding in
Last night, the Senate passed its version of the
spending bill, which made certain changes – mostly cuts – to the spending
planned previously passed by the House Education Appropriations Committee. Then
today, the full House accepted the Senate version of the bill by a vote of 66 to
51.
In what we all know is a very difficult fiscal year, the
General Assembly bill confirms some important proposals that had been made in
the Governor’s proposed budget and/or in proposals made by the State Board of
Education.
The bill maintains the Governor’s recommended increase
of $250 per pupil in the foundation level and perhaps even more significantly,
assumes use of the Department of Human Services count rather than the U.S.
Census to calculate poverty grants. Use of this far more accurate calculation
will direct more money to school districts and addresses a critical structural
deficit in our General State Aid formula. Because of the increases in poverty
grants, we were able to reduce both hold harmless funding and the transitional
funding proposed to make sure no district receives less GRF money this year than
last.
This is an important first step down the road to
revamping the way schools are funded in
Additionally, the budget that was passed today restored
dollars in several important areas that had been targeted for cuts. These
include textbooks, technology, and district
consolidation.
Today’s measure also funds ROE operations at $17 million
(instead of the $22 million proposed by ISBE) and the Truant Alternative program
at $16 million (instead of the $18.5 million in the ISBE
proposal.)
It increases funding for bilingual programs and early
childhood in line with ISBE’s original January recommendation. Unfortunately,
the measure funds the mandated categorical programs at the same 91 percent level
as last year.
In an inclement fiscal climate, this budget achieves
about as much as could realistically be expected. But the process is not yet
complete. Anything can happen next week. I will keep you
informed.
You can access a comparison of the final
FY03 education budget and the version passed today by the General Assembly at http://www.isbe.net/news/2003/04_GA.pdf.
You can access district-by-district projections of
General State Aid and selected categorical programs under the bill passed by the
General Assembly at http://www.isbe.net/news/2003/ProjCats_FY04_Districts_Only.pdf
Steiner Confirmed by
Senate
Dr. Janet Steiner of Carlinville today was unanimously
confirmed by the Senate as Chair of the Illinois State Board of Education. Dr.
Steiner was appointed acting chair on
June Meeting of the
State Board of Education
The State Board will meet Monday and Tuesday,
June 16 and 17, 2003, in the State Board offices,
The Board will not meet in
July.
End of the Year
Report Form
The End of the Year Report, ISBE data collection form
87-04, will be collected online for the first time this year. The form, which
was previously submitted on paper, must now be submitted via IWAS. It will be
available online in June 2003. To access the form, you must use your IWAS (ISBE
Web Application Security) account. A guide on how to establish a personal IWAS
account is available online at www.isbe.net
(click on IWAS
in the column on the left side of the page). If you do not have an IWAS account,
you should create one as soon as possible.
We will notify you of the date when you will be able to
access the End of the Year Report form via IWAS. If you have IWAS questions or
need assistance, please call 217/558-3600.
Web-Based System for
Process Grant Applications to Be Tested
State Board staff will pilot test a new Web-based eGrant
Management System (eGMS) this June and July. When the new system is completely
phased in, it is expected to provide a consistent, streamlined application
process for both state and federal grant programs. Participants will be able to
complete all steps in the process electronically, from design and publication of
grants, through application and review, to approval and disbursement of funds.
Early in 2004, districts will be able to use eGMS to
apply for grants for the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and a select number of
other grants for the 2005 fiscal year. More information is posted at http://www.isbe.net/news/2003/may16-03.htm.
“Click It or Ticket”
Mobilization for Car Safety-Belt Use, May 19–June
1
ISBE is cooperating with the Illinois Department of
Transportation in IDOT’s Click It or Ticket Mobilization that began Monday,
May 19, and will continue to June 1. During this time, law enforcement
officers will be conducting safety-belt checkpoints statewide. Earlier this
month, IDOT mailed information to schools, regional and district
superintendents, high school principals, driver education instructors, pupil
transportation officials, and PTA officials. You can access information about
the mobilization and copies of the IDOT informational materials at http://www.isbe.net/news/2003/may14-03.htm.
Robert Schiller
State Superintendent
of Education
statesup@isbe.net