Not a very Merry Christmas in Illinois

There are two reasons why Illinois is fast becoming a second-rate state. The first reason is because of the State's sordid political past. In the past 40 years, we have had four governors indicted for various charges and two of them have served time. Ryan will undoubtedly serve time after the feds are done with him. Our politicians have been too busy taking care of themselves and their buddies to worry about doing what's needed for the people.

The other reason for Illinois' demise is because of the miserable support to education provided by our politicians. Illinois ranks 47th in funding of education while ranking 10th in income. Where does all the money go? We now know that a lot of it went to lining peoples pockets and doling out favors to friends and financial supporters of our politicians for pork barrel projects.

Years ago Illinois approved the establishment of gambling casinos obstensibly to help bring in funds for education. Illinois has at least five gambling casinos and our education system is broke. Where did that money go? I don't understand why our educators cannot get together and go en masse in school buses to Springfield to protest their plight just like the farmers who drive their tractors to the state capitol to protest.

Illinois' method of funding education is unfair to rural communities like ours because it is based on property values. When farmland values or EAV decline, so does the money going to the school districts. Rather than change the method of funding to a more equitable method such as a state income tax, the state encouraged consolidation believing this would lower cost. Without any determination as to whether the consolidations would be efficient and workable, the state gave incentive money to our schools to consolidate and then left them to fend for themselves. In the process, many communities lost their schools. Also, costs started to escalate due to unfunded mandates from both the state and the federal level and due to unforeseen operating costs associated with consolidation.

Our federal programs have resulted in the disappearance of the small family farm and now our state education program is destroying our small communities. This is what is happening to the communities in the Fieldcrest school district.

As part of the consolidation process, efforts were made to emphasize a new Fieldcrest and to de-emphasize the past. MDR trophies were thrown away into the bus barn, banned forever from the building in which they were won. Despite these efforts, true consolidation has never been actualized either physically or psychologically. Rivalries and tensions still exist among the communities. Wenona is being chastised by the other communities for its unfair TIF district that robs the school district of $100,000 a year. Toluca is upset over the possibility of losing some of their grade school and middle school classes to attendance centers. Many Minonk residents wished that the consolidation never took place, remembering when their school district was in the black and their property taxes lower.

I cannot blame Wenona and Toluca residents for not wanting to lose their schools. However, voters should have been made aware that the consolidation plan drawned up was an expensive plan which eventually would have to be addressed. With reality finally sinking in, each community is circling the wagons ready to defend their turf.

With this backdrop, the stage was set for a showdown on attendance centers at the Fieldcrest school board meeting in Toluca Thursday night. Board members Tom Barth and Tim McNamara emphasized the need to go to attendance centers in order to reduce costs for the debt-ridden school. Former school board president Joe Knapp, who was one of the architects and promoters of the Fieldcrest consolidation, attempted to preserve his legacy by stating that the district should remain in its present setup and suggested that the communities pass a local sales tax to fund the deficit.

At showdown time it was the board members from Toluca and Wenona winning out over the board members from Minonk in defeating the proposal to institute attendance centers. Instead of saving the district a potential $200,000 a year by going to attendance centers, it is my opinion that those board members who voted against attendance centers were influenced more by the emotions of their constiuents than by the facts. Amazingly, board members Jeff Pickard and Kris Klieber said they still needed more facts. Dissenting board member Pat Schmillen said there will be increased costs that will offset the savings without specifying or quantifying these costs.

Basically, the Fieldcrest Board of Education is fiddling while the school district is burning. There have been enough facts presented to justify attendance centers. It has been discussed for some time now. Without attendance centers, the only practical way to reduce costs sufficiently to ward off the take over of the district by the state is to eliminate personnel and support staff, increase class sizes, and eliminate all extra-curriculars. That is not likely to happen and time is running out for making decisions. This board does not appear ready to make the hard calls, so perhaps the state will make the call for them a year from now.

Merry Christmas everyone.