District 135 Parent Group Rallying against School Funding Reform Bill

—Submitted by D135 PFE

Local parent group, District 135 Parents for Education (PFE) has begun to collect signatures to express community-wide objection to Senate Bill 16.

Senate Bill 16, which has passed in the Illinois Senate and is awaiting debate in the House, will make sweeping changes in how the state funds education. In most suburban school districts, the bill will have a severe, negative impact. State education is currently funded by several sources – federal, state and local. SB 16 consolidates 83 percent of Illinois’ education resources and redistributes according to a formula devised by Senate and House leaders.

As an example of how SB 16 could impact us locally, Orland School District 135 stands to lose an estimated $5,094,843.00, which translates to a loss of 85.6% of our state funding, or $5.00 per student, per day.

According to a letter distributed by Orland School District 135, if SB 16 is enacted into law:

• The $5 million dollars per year that would be allocated for District 135 will be redistributed to other school districts throughout the state.

• We will only receive $1.01 per day/per student in State education funding.

• This will result in a loss equivalent to 67 staff positions and $1,046 per student, per year.

• Class sizes and educational programs could be negatively impacted.

In response to SB 16, Orland 135 District PFE voted to start an online petition at their meeting in early October. “We felt strongly that this was something that needed to be addressed community-wide,” remarked District PFE President Tracy Pelini.

The petition is currently circulating via social media and email. It can be accessed athttp://www.ipetitions.com/petition/vote-no-on-illinois-senate-bill-16. In addition to the online petition that has already gained widespread support, the group plans to initiate door to door canvassing of the area to inform residents of the possible impact SB 16 could have on local school districts will directly and negatively affect property taxes and home values.

Pelini stressed the importance of Parents for Education speaking out against Illinois Senate Bill 16.

“Our mission statement demands we as a group promote a rich and safe learning environment for every student and family in District 135,” said Pelini.“With that in mind, I knew we had to take a stand against this bill and allow all the families of our community as a whole to have a voice on the matter.Our petition was the best way to fulfill both those objectives.It is our hope that our elected officials will hear loud and clear that we will not stand idly and accept the passing of a bill that would ultimately sacrifice the quality of education for the students of District 135.”

In addition to signing the petition, the community is urged to contact their elected officials and attend one of the two Town Hall meetings scheduled for October 22 at 6pm at Conrady Junior High in Hickory Hills and on October 23 at 6 p.m. at Sandburg High School to learn more.

For more information, contact Tracy Pelini @ tpelini@sbcglobal.net.