Dear

On April 17th, Quincy Public Schools hosted a Town Hall Meeting during which eight area superintendents expressed their concerns for their students based on the financial health of our state. Each superintendent shared the very somber and real stories of the many instances in which their students have already suffered tremendously due to a lack of resources available because of insufficient funding from the state of Illinois. Local districts have had to make cuts in educational programs, textbooks, technology, fine arts, athletics, and social emotional care. These services are critical to the development of our children. Our children’s future success is imperative to the long term health of our state and country; and a healthy public education system is critical to their success.

With these concerns in mind, I ask you to be mindful of the following:

  • The state MUST pay their bills. Citizens are held responsible both legally and ethically to pay our taxes. That our state government has not upheld itself to the same standards is unacceptable.
  • If the state should finally pass a budget, it is vital that they do so responsibly and make a realistic budget that can both appropriately serve your constituents but also be fully executed.
  • While we still demand the payments which are owed are issued; if all payments are not able to be made, we ask that at least one more quarterly categorical be paid this fiscal year and the remaining two be paid as soon as possible.

As a citizen in your district, I urge you to work to pass a bill that drives more state dollars to the neediest districts across the state, closes gaps between low-income and wealthier districts, accounts for local ability to pay and does not take money from any district. We believe in equity and adequacy and urge you to act to get bipartisan reform by May 31.

Illinois is 50th out of 50 states in providing for our neediest students. For every dollar spent to educate a non-low-income student, only 81 cents are spent on a low-income student.The existing funding system fails to provide adequate funding to address the needs of students. Because of inequitable funding, students from Pana to Peoria, and Cairo to Zion, are too often faced with larger class sizes, fewer special classes like art and music, outdated textbooks and increased student activity fees, when they need the opposite.

We need to fix the state's funding formula so that every student in Illinois has the opportunity to be ready for college and a career.

Respectfully,

Roy S. Webb

Superintendent, Quincy Public Schools