By: Diane Benjamin
The Illinois Comptroller’s Office has lots of interesting information.
Look at this site: http://warehouse.illinoiscomptroller.com/
Virtually every level of Illinois government is required to complete information for this site. Schools must not be required to provide much information. Cities, towns, villages, etc enter much more.
I was looking at area schools and noticed something strange. Unit 5 hasn’t reported their numbers from June 30, 2016. I assume they are being fined by now. Bloomington was late last year and was subject to fines for non-compliance. Only a FOIA will answer that question. (Filed!)
From the numbers that are available it is possible to calculate how much is appropriated per student – basically spending per pupil. The site lists total appropriations and enrollment – just divide it. The site won’t allow me to link to each page, so you will have to look each up yourself.
McLean County Unit 5 spends $11,186
Bloomington SD 87 spends $15,087
Olympia spends $13,436
Leroy spends $8,713
Tri-Valley spends $8,342
The difference between highest and lowest is $6,745!
I really wanted to know how much debt each is in, but that information isn’t available here.
How do these school compare on College Readiness? There is a website for that too:
Unit 5 – 57% https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/District.aspx?source=trends&Districtid=17064005026
District 87 – 46% https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/District.aspx?source=trends&Districtid=17064087025
Olympia – 54% https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/District.aspx?source=trends&Districtid=17064016026
Leroy – 61% https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/District.aspx?source=trends&Districtid=17064002026
Tri-Valley – 68% https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/School.aspx?source=trends&Schoolid=170640030260002
The district that spends the most (Dist 87) has the fewest number of students ready for college.
The district that spends the least (Tri-Valley) has the most students ready for college.
Leftists long ago realized the way to gain and retain power is to brainwash/indoctrinate students. Building minds is easier than changing them.
To that end, schools – especially in IL – are not educating for competitiveness and INDIVIDUAL SUCCESS. They’re educating for indoctrination and globalization. Stripping the individual OUT. This is the true intent behind Common Core.
The left doesn’t see the schools as a problem. When kids like my 8 and 12 year olds come home and talk about man-made climate change, gender fluidity, the importance of the collective……the left sees that as success……so to them….it’s working.
To me and my family, the final straw was the “we welcome illegal immigrants” sign in our kids’ Unit 5 school’s front window….and the administration’s complete lack of interest in discussing parents’ concerns.
We took our kids out of public school….but what’s Unit 5 care? They still get plenty of my tax money.
District 87 offers many remedial classes for High School students who were allowed to progress through grade school without meeting basic reading and math skills. District 87 also has a higher population of students enrolled in English as a second language courses. I’m not sure if the lunch subsidy is included in the per student cost but nearly 50% of District 87 children qualify for reduced or free breakfast and lunch. District 87 has a lot of truancy issues as well. I wonder if there is bloat in administration or if there is simply a need for more teachers given the challenges.
Thank goodness Common Core was just being introduced as my children were near graduation from H.S. There are some teachers who despise Common Core. I call it “teaching to the lowest common denominator.” Many may not get the math reference.
I happened to drive by Bloomington High School today and saw the front entrance and sports field got a facelift this summer.
This is an interesting article with some variables that could be explored. I think District 87 has the highest percentage of students who fall at or below poverty level. I feel like the educational needs of children raised in poverty are likely higher. We cannot be pro-life and then discard our responsibility to educate every child. As for college readiness poverty plays a significant role in that as well. A child with one parent likely has a disadvantage from a child who has 2 and that same child is more likely to live in poverty. Just some thoughts.
And we as a people (especially if we profess Christ) need to be helping more to educate children away from school. Sometimes math teachers are spending more time teaching life skills than math skills. Rather than investing in hotels we should invest in people who live in communities.
There is truth in all of the above comments and the original post – I often think of other countries, and know that many spend sooooo much less per student for public education, and yes granted in many of these countries the COL is far far lower – In India, for example, the governmnet spent approximately $174.00 per student per year in 2015, yes just 174 dollars – we know how well Indian children do on many standardized tests, if you don’t know, it’s quite well. India however only has about a 74% literacy rate at this time. In Poland, where the COL approximates the United States, and where they have a 99% literacy rate, the average cost is around $6,000.00 per student. While these stats may seem irrelevant, I believe that they are actually quite relevant. America, and Illinois of course, spends WAY too much on things that do NOTHING to enhance learning, kids in a mud hut with a good teacher, some paper and pencils and books can be just as well educated as American kids in High Tech classrooms with every amenity known to man, the difference is DESIRE and parental encouragement. We need to find a way to make sure kids WANT to learn, and that the teachers not only want to teach, but are allowed to teach, NOT indoctrinate, and that is going to take a LONG time and a LOT of overhaul. It does not however require a LOT of money.
“b” is correct on all counts. Our tax dollars are completely wasted in public schools. Common Core is indoctrinating our kids to leftist ideology. For those parents who know better, either homeschool or be sure to teach them the truth–for example, that global warming is nothing but a hoax. As difficult as it is, it is possible-I’ve been doing it for 9 years. I really feel badly for the teachers caught up in this and forced to teach things which are against their own beliefs. Glad to see TriValley doing well. I know some families who moved so their kids could go there. Excellent decision. When we moved into unit 5, the schools were nothing like they are now. The decline has been breathtaking. It is is really a shame.
We moved only for Tri-Valley from Unit 5. No regrets!
You can write what you want. it’s your site but 87’s challenges far outweigh those of Tri-Valley. It’s not even close.
Multiply the difference by 20 kids in a class. That doesn’t handle it?