Funding cuts handed down on June 4 to Regional Office of Education #33 could make some programs nonexistent. Approximately $3.1 million in funding has been cut from the ROE’s budget for the upcoming school year at the moment – which has put Regional Superintendent Jodi Scott in a tough spot.
“One of my hardest work-life days ever was pulling all the staff in and explaining that we had received our notice for our grant, and that our prevention initiative was zeroed out and both our Preschool For All and expansion grants were drastically reduced. So we were in line to lose up to about 35 staff members in our office,” she said.
The Illinois State Board of Education is working with the Governor’s office to possibly provide funding to those that were overlooked, like ROE #33. An appeal was filed by the ROE after the decision was made on June 4, and the ROE should know the result of that appeal by Aug. 20.
Scott is holding out hope that the state will ultimately make the right decision for her office.
“We have classrooms furnished and waiting. We spent the whole summer getting those classrooms ready and making them beautiful and ready for kids. We spent the summer recruiting kids and families. This impacted a lot of things and a lot of people, so yeah: That’s the anticipation, that we will go ahead and open those programs if this all goes through,” Scott said.
To hear more from Scott, click on the link below:
written by Jackson Kane
