The Taylorville School Board unanimously elected Monday night to participate in a lawsuit that a group of Illinois Schools are filing against the state board of education, based on a lack of funds the state has paid to the schools, as well as unfunded requirements the state continues to place on Illinois school districts. As part of joining, the Taylorville School Board elected to use non-tax payer funds to pay the associated legal fees as part of the lawsuit.
Taylorville Superintendent Dr. Gregg Fuerstenau spoke with WTIMTV following the meeting, and said the list of schools filing suit against the state is growing.
Dr. Fuerstenau said a big part of the reasoning behind the lawsuit was the continued unfunded mandates the school continues to place on already struggling school districts.
School board member Bruce Barry asked the board to elect to not use any taxpayer money on the legal fees associated with joining the lawsuit, and offered that the fees be paid through the Quarterback Club, which passed along with the decision to join the suit.
The board also viewed a presentation put together by Taylorville School District Business Manager Colene German highlighting some of the financial figures the district has seen since 2005. Dr. Fuerstenau said one of the most important figures of that presentation was one that showed how Taylorville Schools spends less per student than much of the state. He said this is due to the district having to make tough funding decisions due to the financial situation the district has been in.
It’s not all bad news however for Taylorville Schools, as Dr. Fuerstenau highlighted some of the accomplishments that students in the Taylorville School District have achieved.
The Taylorville School Board will meet again on April 10th, where they will discuss the results of the tax referendum vote.
