Politics & Government

State Board Pleads for More School Busing Money

Already impacted by less state funding for transportation, school districts and the Board of Education hope Gov. Quinn's proposed $95 million in transportation cuts isn't approved.

Already reeling from continued cuts to school busing costs, the state Board of Education met with lawmakers this week to ask for increased funding, particularly for transportation.

According to Illinois Statehouse News, the Education Board pleaded Tuesday for more money, hoping to avoid Gov. Pat Quinn's proposed cuts, which could include up to $95 million in transportation. In the 2011 fiscal year, ISBE spent about $212,000 of its $11.2 million budget on providing free transportation for students who live 1.5 miles or more away from their school .

Linda Mitchell, ISBE’s chief financial officer said it’s impossible to teach students if they aren’t in schools.

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“Our board contends that although dollars spent on buses and gasoline are not necessarily dollars spent on textbooks, they are a critical part of providing support to education in this state,” Mitchell said to Illinois Statehouse News.

State Rep. Renee Kosel (R-New Lenox), who serves on the Elementary and Secondary Education Appropriations Committee, said she isn't working off Quinn's proposed cuts and instead looking at the budget with a clean slate, with the primary goal being to provide an honest and secure budget.

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"I would love to see a budget where the schools actually get the money that's included for them and they get it on time," Kosel said to Patch on Wednesday. "No matter what that number is, it has to be something the schools can count on and in a timely manner."

In recent years, local school districts in Frankfort, Mokena and New Lenox have consolidated busing services with the Lincoln-Way High School District 210 as a cost-cutting measure, but state reimbursements continue to dip and more has had to be done to work toward balanced budgets.

The 2012 fiscal year will see a 35 percent reduction in state reimbursements for transportation costs, New Lenox District 122 officials said in February. Thus, the district by minimizing the number of buses and drivers needed by staggering start times. The previous year, the district also instituted a $280 busing fee for families that no longer qualify for state reimbursable busing if they live less than 1.5 miles from their school.

New Lenox Patch Editor contributed to this article, and portions were taken from Illinois Statehouse News reporter Melissa Leu.


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