EDGINGTON, Illinois — Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner proposed his education spending plan for the state of Illinois. The proposal increases education spending by $120 million statewide, but not all school districts in Illinois are seeing their state aid go up. Rockridge School District would lose money. If Rauner's proposal were to pass, state aid for the district would be cut by $119,296. During fiscal year 2016, Rockridge received $874,945. Rauner's proposal projects fiscal year 2017 aid cut to $755,648.
The proposed cuts come after Rockridge has already seen funding cuts over the last six years.
"Back in 2010, our general state aid was 2.6 million," said Jack Bambrick, Interim Superintendent Rockridge School District.
Enrollment in Rockridge has also been decreasing in recent years. In 2010, K-12 enrollment was 1,256 students. In 2016, enrollment is down to 1,118 students. The numbers broken down to a per student level go from $2,070 state aid per student in 2010 down to $783 state aid per student in 2016.
Day to day operations of the school district would be effected by cuts including: the number of administrative positions, teaching positions, building utilities, school supplies, extra-curricular activities, and electives.
"Here we go again it's just continuing," Katy Hasson, Principal Rockridge High School said. "Our teachers are doing an outstanding job in making up for it, [the cuts are] just continuing to add to the stress of continuously being asked to do more and more and more with less and less and less. What that does to our staff morale and our community morale is concerning."
Ultimately, it would be the district's administrative team working together to come up with a recommendation to present to the Board of Education on how specifically to deal with the cuts.
"You get to the point where you wonder how much father can we go, how much farther can we go and still be a viable district?" Bambrick asked. "I'm not even talking about just Rockridge anymore I'm talking about K-12 public education in Illinois in general."
Bambrick wants lawmakers, community members, teacher organizations to sit down and figure out how to not make winners and losers out of the proposed spending plan. As Rauner's plan reads now, some districts will see an increase in state aid. While others, like Rockridge, will not.
"I think parents and students should be concerned everywhere in Illinois," said Bambrick. "To create the type of political football that education has become, to me is a disgrace."