If schools don't open in the fall because of a lack of state funding, children will be hungry. That's according to school superintendents reacting to Governor Bruce Rauner's speech in Bloomington. Many schools offer breakfast and lunches to children from low income families. Educators also said there will be more violence on the streets in some areas with high poverty levels.
LeRoy Schools Superintendent Gary Tipsord says he's not sure lawmakers and the Governor get the second and third level impacts created by a failure to pass school funding.
"When you are talking about an industry that not only provides the educational services for students but tremendous social services for kids and families in the state, that crisis is a lot more extensive than just what you see on the surface," Tipsord said.
He said everything from childcare to educational attainment years later, to the ability of parents to work is potentially threatened by a school shutdown.
Regional Superintendent of Schools Mark Jontry said his area of responsibility would last only until about spring break.
"We had to do a six month contract because come the end of the fall semester we would not be in a position to continue our programming as it currently exists," said Jontry.
Tipsord said LeRoy schools would open without a K-12 funding bill, but the state funds about 74 days of the school year and to stay open would require extraordinary measures. He said his board and his district has chosen to make hard choices to keep going.
He said LeRoy operates at an annual deficit of 300,000 dollars a year and has for some years because the state has pro-rated the support it is supposed to give. He said continuing to do that will eventually break the district.
Other Superintendents said they could get through most of a school year only by exhausting their reserves and leaving nothing for the future.
