BLOOMINGTON - Disappointed and frustrated is how many Central Illinois educators feel about the delay in finalizing the state budget.

Even more annoying than not having firm figures for budgeting next year is the lack of agreement on long-term funding reform for schools that many educators expected during the current legislative session.

"From my perspective, it's not so much the delay - most of it I can estimate - it's not getting the education reform," said David Wood, Bloomington District 87's chief financial and legal officer.

Wood said the state keeps issuing more mandates: Asking "for this report or that," requiring districts to "buy this or do that," but doesn't work out an equitable way to pay for them.

"They haven't been able to fundamentally restructure how schools are funded," he said.

"We had high hopes they were going to do what they needed to do," added Vickie Mahrt, immediate past president of the Unit 5 Education Association, which represents faculty.

"The short-term anxiety about the budget is real," she said, but the bigger issue is that lawmakers "haven't fulfilled what we thought was a promise" of changing how education is funded in Illinois to provide the best education possible and make it fair for every district and student.

While some students are getting first-class educations, others aren't even getting the basics, depending on where they live, Mahrt said.

Twin City children are among the fortunate ones who do get a quality education, she said, but legislators "must step up," face the future and get education funding figured out.

Weighing the options

Mahrt said Gov. Rod Blagojevich's proposed gross receipt tax was a "non- starter," and it's time for other proposals to be made. She is sick of the "blame game" and bickering on both sides of the aisle and wants to see some action.

"We're really disappointed," she said. "I wish we could have seen more action this session," she said.

Some reforms area educators are looking for include:

- Raising the state foundation level to adequately fund education basics.

- Paying a reasonable share of special education costs. For example, the state currently covers $8,000 for a special education teacher at the same time it has so many requirements about what districts must do for special education.

- Adequately funding other special programs for students who are poor, primarily speak a foreign language, are gifted, or who are enrolled in early childhood and summer programs.

- Provide property tax rebates to correct inequalities.

"A state income tax increase seems to be the most realistic structure and the most fair," Mahrt said of how to fund reforms.

Budget delay has impact

While long-term education financing is a big issue, the delayed budget this year remains a consideration for area school officials. For example, the Unit 5 school district is negotiating a new contract with 230 teaching assistants and office staff.

The lack of a state budget clarifying funding "affects both sides," said John Pye, the district's assistant superintendent of operations and human resources.

"We don't have a clear picture what the state will provide us," he said.

Most of Unit 5's funding is locally generated, but what the state decides is still important, Pye said.

Similarly, about 75 percent of District 87's revenue is from local property and corporate taxes, with the rest coming from federal and state sources, Wood said.

Districts improvise

It is more difficult for districts like Fairbury-based Prairie Central to plan a budget without state figures because 46 percent of its funding is from the state.

About $6.4 million of Prairie Central's $14 million education and transportation budget comes from the state, said Superintendent John Capasso.

What the district gets this year is still up in the air.

"We really can't complete our budget without it," he said. It's harder to write a budget that doesn't have some "fiction" based on best guesses, he said.

But like other administrators, he said he can estimate revenues using history and educated assumptions to prepare the preliminary budget due this month. The final budget isn't due until September.

It would be really helpful for the Olympia school district if the state budget is wrapped up by August or September, said Superintendent Brad Hutchison.

"We, of course, know our expenditures for this coming year, but we need to see the revenue side. We are going to put the tentative budget on the table Aug. 13 and have a budget hearing, so I'd like to hear by then," Hutchison said.

On a positive side, he said the state has paid all its bills through June 30. "And we have some money in reserves we can use if necessary," he said.