Illinois slashes education budget; programs for gifted, disabled children cut

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

State education officials July 21 slashed millions of dollars from dozens of initiatives -- ranging from preschool to after-school to gifted programs -- and warned of a "catastrophic'' year ahead, when $2 billion in federal stimulus dollars will dry up.

Acting in emergency session, State Board of Education members faced with shrunken state revenues approved a $7.26 billion budget for this coming school year, down $146 million, or 2 percent, from fiscal year 2009.

Officials said they were forced to make a "Sophie's Choice'' among which programs to axe. Even $2 billion in federal stimulus dollars spread over the new fiscal year and the one preceding it was not enough to fill the yawning gap.

Taking the biggest hit was early childhood education, which lost $123 million. The action "rolls back about five years of progress'' and means an estimated 30,000 children will lose preschool services this fall, said Sean Noble of Voices for Illinois Children.

All state money for gifted education was "zeroed out,'' along with dollars for two after-school programs -- one of them started by the wife of Mayor Daley.

Efforts to help the blind and dyslexic, teacher recruitment in hard-to-staff schools, high school students taking Advanced Placement classes and teachers who earn rigorous national certification all took whacks.

Bilingual education was trimmed 25 percent, or $19 million. However, Board of Ed chairman Jesse Ruiz warned the cut doesn't mean districts are "off the hook'' for providing the state-mandated program.

Ricardo Meza of the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund wondered how districts could serve the same number of kids with less money.

"Are they going to increase class size for bilingual ed?'' Meza asked. "Not identify kids properly or exit them too soon or not provide services at all?''

Ruiz predicted the next state education budget will be "catastrophic'' without the buoy of federal stimulus dollars. This time next year, the Board will have to cut $1 billion just to maintain its new, hobbled budget, officials said.

However, districts will receive $160 more per pupil under the new funding plan, and categorical spending -- most of it for special education -- will increase by $145 million.