Area school districts have turned to social media in an attempt to get a new state budget approved. Using the hash tag #Pass Illinois Budget some local school superintendents are letting the public know that they did not get all of their funding when lawmakers earlier approved a stop-gap funding plan.
The Westville Unit 2 School District, for example, is owed $912,237 – and the Georgetown-Ridge Farm District is owed $712,339.
State Senator Scott Bennett says he has been encouraging such a campaign. ‘’Well it’s something that, frankly, I’ve been encouraging my local superintendents to do for awhile. I think part of the problem is nobody wants to tell – if you’re a school administrator or a business owner – you don’t want to let people know how bad things are right now,’’ said Senator Bennett. ‘’And so I think what happens is you want to make a good face – show that you’re a good steward of your district’s money. But if the State impasse is causing you guys to make decisions, and make really tough choices – I think the voters need to know that and put pressure on the legislators to act accordingly.’’
Lawmakers returned to Springfield Tuesday to resume work on numerous unresolved issues.
