Del Galdo: Low-Income School Districts Benefit under New State Budget, School Funding Formula Plan

(Berwyn, IL) – A top suburban Cook County school district attorney says that the approval of a new State of Illinois budget by the legislature is good news for schools statewide and in Cook County.

“Despite the large cuts throughout the state’s new fiscal year 2018 budget, lawmakers still managed to invest an additional $350 million into elementary and secondary education for the 2017-2018 school year and to fully fund budget categoricals, such as special education and transportation costs,” said attorney Michael Del Galdo who represents multiple, Cook County suburban school districts. “That’s excellent news for school districts that have been forced to cover those costs themselves.”

Del Galdo, the managing partner at the Berwn-based law firm Del Galdo Law Group, LLC, also noted that the budget legislation, Senate Bill 6, contains a provision that requires the adoption of a new school funding formula plan, Senate Bill 1, before money can start flowing to schools.

“Before the Illinois State Board of Education can distribute any money for the 2017-2018 school year, the evidence-based model formula embedded in Senate Bill 1 must be adopted,” Del Galdo said. “That legislation has already won approval by both chambers of the legislature, but Governor Bruce Rauner has vowed to veto the bill.”

Del Galdo says if Rauner reverse his position and signs the new funding formula plan, low-income school districts in Cook County, such as Cicero School District 99, would be big beneficiaries.

According to calculations by the Illinois State Board of Education, Cicero 99 would see its share of state school funding increase from $95,636,490 to $104,325,115 or an extra $8,688,625 in 2017-2018.

“An investment of an additional $8.6 million in Cicero 99 would help advance significant academic progress,” said Del Galdo.

As part of the state’s new $350 million in school funding, an additional $38,546,000 has been slated for bilingual education funding, Del Galdo noted.

Additionally, the new state spending plan includes $15,000,000 for after school programs and a $50,000,000 increase for early childhood education.

“The two-year budget impasse has imposed enormous uncertainty and financial strain on school districts across Illinois and in Cook County,” said Del Galdo. “But the new spending package and new school funding formula could lay the foundation for long-term academic achievement, particularly, for low-income, Cook County school districts.”

davidormsby@davidormsby.com