Altamont Superintendent Says Local School Districts Are Tired of "Enabling" State in Budget Matters

Altamont Unit 10 Schools Superintendent Jeff Fritchtnitch says local school districts are tired of "enabling" a dysfunctional state government, and adds that a lack of state funding could make it necessary to keep his schools closed this fall.

(JEFF FRITCHTNITCH)

Fritchtnitch, during a conversation at Friday's Chamber Employee Appreciation Luncheon and by phone Tuesday, indicated that he and many other superintendents have had to eat into their reserves to make up for the shortfall in state dollars. A lack of state aid if a new spending plan isn't enacted for the start of the new state fiscal year July 1 could help districts like Altamont to remain closed. He asked, "Why would we begin school and hold classes for a month or two and then be forced to close if state funding isn't forthcoming?"

The problem isn't new; in recent years, the State has set foundation levels for funding for school districts, but have then pro-rated what they actually allocate for things like transportation. It has left local school officials guessing, wishing and hoping for what funding they will receive and then trying to prepare their own budgets accordingly, and using their own reserves to cover the shortfall from the State.

This past year saw a lack of agreement on a state budget, which was supposed to take effect last July 1. Some are now operating under the assumption that there won't be a budget for the current fiscal year. 

The one thing that was agreed on for the current fiscal year was Grades K-12 funding. Now, the rancor in Springfield has grown to the point that a K-12 funding package for the coming year isn't a certainty. The lack of funding now seen at colleges and universities could be seen in K-12 schools without state funding for the coming fiscal year. That has Fritchtnitch and other superintendents wondering about whether to open schools this fall.

Fritchtnitch was quick to state that Altamont is not alone in this situation. He said superintendents from the five counties making up the State Regional Office of Education district met Tuesday morning and he said several are wondering about how to approach the coming school year. 

Fritchtnitch said it's not just this region, either; he said superintendents from as far away as Geneseo and Kewanee Wethersfield are expressing the same concerns. He has met with State Representative John Cavaletto about the situation. Cavaletto was a school superintendent in Salem before his election to the legislature, so has an understanding of the situation. He said he has been "playing phone tag" with State Senator Dale Righter, but said Righter wants to meet with him to discuss the situation.

Fritchtnitch said he doesn't want to come off as the "whiny superintendent"; he said superintendents want to be part of the solution. He just wants residents of his district to be aware that "there's just not automatically going to be school in August".