Todd Stapleton, from our sister stations The Kurv 107.1 and WPMB AM 1500 and 104.7FM, files this report from Vandalia:
A large crowd gathered in downtown Vandalia on Wednesday afternoon to show their support for equitable school funding in the state of Illinois. Administrators from all over the state were on hand, along with teachers, students and other school personnel from Vandalia and many surrounding communities. Vandalia Superintendent of Schools Rich Well was among the speakers, calling for the General Assembly to get their act together and come up with a budget.
VCHS graduate and Sandoval Schools Superintendent Jennifer Garrison says this issue is a real one throughout the state.
Also on hand for the event was Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool, who is a St. Elmo native. Growing up here, Claypool says he understands the issues for both ends of the state are the same when it comes to education.
Beyond coming up with an equitable funding plan, many schools at this point just need to see the Illinois General Assembly come up with a budget of some kind for the new fiscal year that begins tomorrow. Without it, many schools say they do not have the funding to stay open for very long in the new school year—and some would not open at all.