Illinois school district faces prospect of state management
Wednesday, May 11th, 2011
Whether through mismanagement, declining enrollment or both, urban school districts have coped with financial woes, which often trigger intervention from states. In Michigan, a state law that gives emergency financial managers the power to strip authority from elected officials has caused controversy in recent weeks. In Illinois, an East Saint Louis school district spent 10 years until 2004 under a state-appointed financial oversight panel. As Dale Singer of the St. Louis Beacon reports, the school district faces the prospect of oversight again.
Once again, Illinois is poised to intervene in East St. Louis schools
If teachers in East St. Louis want to get across the lesson that history repeats itself, they don't have too far to look for an example.
From 1994 to 2004, a financial oversight panel put in place by Illinois state education officials kept track of how District 189 spent its money. By the time it had to go out of business because members couldn't get authorization to stick around, it had helped turn a daunting deficit into a balanced budget with a nice cash reserve.
Now, seven years later, state school officials have concluded once again that the district needs outsiders to keep a closer eye on things.
More on East St. Louis schools can be found at the St. Louis Beacon.
