The school districts that make up the Regional Board Office of Education are holding a special meeting of all nine school boards to explore the potential consequences for districts if Illinois has no state budget in FY17.
Galesburg Superintendent Ralph Grimm tells WGIL the various boards will convene at Knoxville High School at 6 p.m. May 17.
“As we get closer to the end of May and no budget for FY16 we become a little bit concerned about some of the things that we’re hearing regarding what no budget for FY17 might look like,” Grimm says.
Grimm says that he’s hearing that Gov. Bruce Rauner might not sign an education funding bill without a budget like he did for FY16.
There could be issues making payroll in District 205 as soon is what Grimm told 205 board members at their April meeting.
“My goal is to put information out there, begin to create a contingency plan and hope we never have to use it,” Grimm says.
The superintendent spoke to around 60 teachers at Lombard Middle School at a meeting yesterday in which all district staff were invited to.
The purpose was to discuss with teachers much of what will be discussed on the 17th–what the potential impact would be for 205 without a state budget in FY17.
All members of the public form Knox, Mercer, Warren and and Henderson counties are welcome to attend the joint board meeting.
Schools districts in ROE 33 include Knoxville, Galesburg, Abingdon-Avon, Williamsfield, ROWVA, Mercer County, West Central, United and Monmouth-Roseville.
