In the next several months, LTHS could lose up to $2.6 million dollars in state aid.

That’s right, $2.6 million. Why? Because right now, Senate Bill 16 is sitting in the rules committee of the Illinois House of Representatives. This bill passed the Illinois Senate earlier in spring of 2014, with the purpose of allocating state educational aid to schools with a “needs based” local inability to pay. What does this really mean? Well, as of right now, 44% of the money that the state gives to schools is needs based, meaning it is awarded to districts in low-income areas. However, with the passage of Senate Bill 16, this 44% will skyrocket to a staggering 95%. Some legislators argue that this bill will be beneficial because schools with less funding will be given more. Unfortunately, many schools, LTHS included, will lose millions.

If Senate Bill 16 passes, that means that every school will have to undergo extensive auditing to ensure that state aid is allocated in the most efficient way possible. According to the 2014 Fiscal Year Lockport Township High School Budget, LTHS spends a total of $38,297,928 per year. Overall, 8.4% of this money comes from the state, a hefty $3,217,026. If $2.6 million is cut, that will leave only $617,026 of state funding left.

To give you an idea of how disastrous this is, consider the $1,849,769 that the district pays to faculty every year. When all is said and done, state aid will no longer even cover half of the salaries of those responsible for our educations! What is truly harrowing about such a steep cutback is the deficit that will need to be accounted for. With new chromebooks, turf field, and a plethora of student activities, LTHS can simply not afford to cut back. So, where will this money come from? Will County property taxes have already soared since 2007. Surely the state cannot expect to wring the funds from people’s paychecks simply because we live in a town “with fortune.” The fact is that, while many of us in the Lockport area are pretty well off, many of us are not. For the state to look at percentages and decide our fates is concerning to say the least.

However, the horrors of Senate Bill 16 do not stop there. While general state aid will be based on local ability to pay, the bill does say that each school will be given more funding based on the size of their special education programs. On the surface, this may seem like a positive concession, but don’t be fooled. The problem is that not every school district has the same needs in their special ed programs. Lockport has an average number of people in the special education program. But take districts like Naperville School Districts 203 and 204, districts where many parents flock to because of the exemplary treatment provided to their children with special needs. With Senate Bill 16, Naperville will be receiving more money than surrounding schools. This could lead to more people than necessary being placed in special education classes. What’s more, schools who have had a history of financial responsibility are not free from Senate Bill 16’s grasp. If you ask me, this is totally backwards. What the state should be doing is taking the special education money that does not get used by certain schools and giving that either to schools that need it or allocating it to the general state aid.

Consequently, the new fiscal year has the potential to completely change the ways that local school districts are run. After all, money doesn’t grow on trees, and if millions are taken away, there is going to need to be a way to make up lost funds. What the state should really be doing is finding a way to allocate funds so that each school has money in the departments that need it. Hopefully, Senate Bill 16 will not be passed, and LTHS will enter the new fiscal year without added financial worry.