Woodland D50, Prairie Crossing on Opposite Sides of HB 2660

Officials from Prairie Crossing Charter School and Woodland District 50 are campaigning on opposite sides of an Illinois State House bill that would change the way charter schools are funded.

House Bill 2660 "requires Illinois to pay the full funding of its state-chartered schools," District 50 officials said in a press release. The two state-chartered schools in Illinois are Prairie Crossing Charter School and Southland Prep Charter High School in Rich Township District 227.

"House Bill 2660 is a fair solution because it requires the full funding of the state-chartered schools at the same level, calculated the same way as it is now, but provides equal access to General State Aid (GSA) for the 'host districts' instead of requiring them to foot the entire bill at the expense of education for the district’s public school students," District 50 officials added.

District 50 officials are urging parents to contact their state legislators and voice their support for HB 2660.

Prairie Crossing officials, on the other hand, are urging parents to voice opposition to the bill. In a letter to parents, Prairie Crossing officials said the "funding source for charter schools is ambiguous" in HB 2660, and said the charter school will be left vulnerable to the state's budget cuts.

"We have urged parents to contact their local legislators because HB 2660, as written, is unclear on if a new line item in the Illinois state budget will be created or if the costs for Prairie Crossing Charter School and Southland will be added to an existing line item in the budget; that is cause for concern," said Nigel Whittington, executive director of Prairie Crossing Charter School.

"Furthermore, the State of Illinois has had a good deal of difficulty balancing the state budget in recent years and each year any line item in that budget is subject to reductions or removal, adding a further worry," Whittington added. "In order to plan for the future we need a fair, secure, and equitable source of funding, and HB 2660 does not commit to that course of action; we therefore urge parents to voice their opposition."

Bob Leonard, associate superintendent in District 50, said the Illinois State Board of Education will divert about $3 million of the district's general state aid to Prairie Crossing Charter School in 2012-13. The loss of revenue, he said, has resulted in the district having to look at staff and supply reductions every other year, and the district sold an $8.5 million bond in January 2011 to "meet cash flow shortages as a result of declining or delayed state funding."

He called HB 2660 "a fair solution that would positively impact both Woodland District 50 and Prairie Crossing Charter School.

"HB 2660 would provide our schools access to the same state revenues all 862 public schools are entitled to," said Leonard. "It will provide funding for Prairie Crossing Charter School directly from the State as other State schools are funded."

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