KENT KRIEGSHAUSER/The Register-Mail

Arne Duncan, left, CEO of Chicago Public Schools, meets with Dr. Neil Sappington, right, District 205 Superintendent and board members Dr. Barry Swanson, back left, and Dr. Carl Strauch. The men were on a walking tour of Galesburg High School Tuesday morning as part of the LUDA bus tour.

Same story statewide: Many schools are in need

Funding reform advocates visit District 205

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

By AMANDA WILLIAMS

The Register-Mail

But the chief executive officer for Chicago Public Schools said it's a story he has heard many times over across the state.

Duncan and a group of school funding reform advocates made a stop at Galesburg High School on Tuesday as part of a statewide "Fund Our Schools" tour.

During their hour and a half visit, District 205 administrators used the recent recommendation to close Cooke School as an example of the district's funding needs.

"It's heartbreaking to hear the stories but I've got to tell you, the stories are identical," Duncan said. "From town to town we've seen hard-working people who have to do things that hurt kids. Unfortunately the stories are heartbreakingly similar."

The tour, organized by Chicago Public Schools and the Illinois Large Unit District Association, also includes stops in Rockford, the Quad Cities, Quincy and East St. Louis. It culminates today with a school-funding rally in Springfield organized by education-advocacy groups from across the state.

Duncan said school districts in Illinois have been balancing budgets by closing schools, increasing class sizes and "doing things that we know hurt kids."

"Those decisions have to stop. It's not good for our kids, it's not healthy," Duncan said.

Barry Swanson, a school board member and former GHS administrator, told Duncan he saw a big difference between District 205 and Lyons Township High School in the Chicago suburbs where he retired from in terms of programs and extracurricular activities.

"It seems to me it's not fair to our kids and we don't want to bring other districts down, we just want to build our districts up," Swanson said. "There's a promise that's made and we're breaking a promise to our kids, it's that simple."

As a Galesburg parent, Carol Maloney agrees. She said the quality of school programs available to students should not depend on what ZIP code they live in.

"What's your ultimate message to families; as a parent, what can I do?" Maloney asked Duncan during his stop at GHS.

Duncan and others on the tour are encouraging communities to get the public involved in letter-writing campaigns to let state representatives know they want the school funding system in Illinois revamped.

"We have to shake people up," Duncan said.

District 205 Superintendent Neil Sappington said Duncan's visit to Galesburg is a sign that school funding is not just a downstate concern.

"It is really a sign of how many people are concerned about the members of the General Assembly's inability to act on this," Sappington said.