District 87 uses cash reserves to account for unprecedented state shortfall

Barry Reilly
District 87 superintendent Barry Reilly said the district is owed two general aid payments totaling $500,000 and a categorical payment from last school year totaling $750,000. (WJBC file photo)

By Eric Stock

BLOOMINGTON – District 87 Superintendent Barry Reilly said the school funding shortage in Illinois has reached unprecedented levels.

“We haven’t received our two state general aid payments (due this month) for this school year, the first time in history that’s happened,” Reilly said. “That is a big deal and until they get something done in Springfield, those payments will not come.”

PODCAST: Listen to Scott and Patti’s interview with Reilly on WJBC.

Reilly told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin and Patti Penn aside from general state aid, the district is waiting on so-called categorical payments which cover things like transportation and special education while legislators work on a new school funding formula.

In all, the district is waiting on $1.25 million from the state. Reilly noted the district has strong cash reserves to weather the storm in the short term.

“Because we have a good amount of fund reserves we can make it throughout the course of the year, but what it does is it causes us to draw down our balance,” Reilly said.

Reilly will join superintendents Mark Daniel at Unit 5 and Gary Tispord at LeRoy to address the school funding shortage tomorrow at a McLean County Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the Chateau Hotel and Conference Center in Bloomington from 7-8:30 a.m.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].

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