Among the key candidates for government unit consolidation are the state’s 859 local school districts, which consume nearly two-thirds of the $27 billion in local property taxes that local governments across Illinois collect each year. Illinois has the fifth-largest number of school districts in the nation. In April, Ted Dabrowski from the Illinois Policy Institute published a report on Report on School District Consolidation that features New Trier school districts (to be discussed May 26).
Ted Dabrowski’s colleague John Klingner also from the Illinois Policy Institute provided us with additional information for our May 26 discussion. Here it is:
Why school district consolidation makes sense
- Illinois has far more local governments than any other state in the country – nearly 7,000 units of local government, including 859 school districts.
- Those districts have escaped accountability, amassed $20 billion in debt ($10,000 per student), and pushed property tax growth to three times the rate of household income growth since 1990.
- Consolidation would make it easier for citizens to hold governments accountable for actions that harm taxpayers. For example, stopping Palatine School District 15’s 10-year teachers’ contract from being implemented.
- It would also save taxpayers millions in district office staff costs. For example, district office staff salaries cost New Trier-area taxpayers over $12 million a year. That’s over $1,000 per student.
- Overall, state taxpayers would be saved from billions in pension costs over the next several decades.
What are the concerns with school district consolidation? Residents usually voice their concerns over consolidation by asking the following questions:
- Why should specific districts be forced to join with others? For example, Kenilworth/Sears is like a private school. Residents will claim they pay for almost everything with their own local taxes and get next to nothing from the state. (That’s not entirely true, however, as the state pays for Kenilworth’s and all other districts’ employee pension costs.)
- Why is my community being grouped with other areas (Wilmette with Winnetka, etc.)?
- Will special district-specific programs have to be eliminated?
- What will happen to property tax rates, and how will my taxes be used?
- Won’t that mean fewer school boards and less intimate local governance?
- Won’t consolidation dilute the power of local voices/interests? (A consolidated board would cover far more jurisdictions.)
- Will teacher contracts be merged with more expensive contracts, costing taxpayers even more money?
- Will this cause my local school to be consolidated? Will I lose access to my favorite teachers, mascots and my school community?
How does consolidation work today?
- The current rules for passing a consolidation referendum are relatively straightforward:
- To consolidate two or more school districts, a petition can be initiated by either the local school boards or by 50 registered voters or by 10 percent of the voters residing within each affected district, whichever is lower.
- After a public hearing, both the regional and state superintendents must vote to approve the petition.
- Finally, the petition is presented as a referendum in the next election, which must pass by a majority of those voting in each affected district.
Why don’t more consolidations happen?
- In 1942, Illinois had more than 12,000 districts – the most of any state in the nation. By the year 2000, the district count had fallen to 894. Since then, the number of districts has fallen by just 39.
- Many residents have the concerns listed above and fail to learn about the advantages of consolidation.
- School district officials lobby hard against losing their positions.
- The state currently offers various financial incentives for districts to consolidate. Those incentives are usually not substantial enough to overcome residents’ concerns. And unfortunately, some of those financial incentives can actually cost taxpayers more money in the long-run.
The way forward for consolidation
John Klingner outlines two paths Illinoisans can take to enact school district consolidation. They can pursue consolidation by local means using the existing consolidation rules and/or they can push for new state legislation in Springfield that would implement comprehensive consolidation reforms across the state.
Local consolidation path
- The local path toward consolidation starts by finding a core group of concerned residents/taxpayers who are willing to put their time, effort and money into pushing for consolidation.
- The local consolidation petitions can be as limited or as expansive as New Trier-area residents want, ranging anywhere from combining just a couple of districts to combining all six elementary school districts into the high school district.
- Local residents can get a consolidation petition started relatively easily, as per the steps in this ISBE-provided brochure. Residents can either work to obtain signatures for the petition or lobby their affected local school boards to initiate one.
- In either case, residents will have to promote the petition and educate the public on the benefits of consolidation through some form of marketing campaign.
- Assuming residents succeed in initiating a consolidation petition, two additional obstacles exist: getting the regional and state superintendent to approve the petition and then getting a majority of voters in each affected district to approve the consolidation through a referendum.
Difficulties
- Many residents will be opposed to local consolidation efforts due to the previously listed concerns.
- The state’s special incentives, if applied to local consolidation efforts, may actually increase costs for local taxpayers in the long run.
State legislation path
- Rather than pursue a local path to consolidation that can only combine a few districts at a time, Illinois residents can push for new legislation in Springfield that would implement comprehensive consolidation reforms across the state.
- The Illinois Policy Institute’s proposed state legislation would come in the form of a school district consolidation commission, which would function in a manner similar to the federal government’s Base Realignment and Closure Commission, or BRAC, which decides which military bases should be closed around the country. (Military bases are similar to school districts in that local residents fight hard to prevent their closing/consolidation despite the overall inefficiencies they cause.)
- The advantages of a district consolidation commission are threefold:
- The commission would mandate consolidations across the state, set reorganization guidelines and establish a process for implementation while taking into account the concerns of local communities. That would save Illinoisans from having to conduct hundreds of individual consolidation efforts.
- The commission would discontinue the state’s consolidation incentives and focus solely on eliminating duplicative district administration costs. That would prevent the state’s current incentives from costing local taxpayers in the long-run.
- The commission would mandate its proposed consolidations through an up or down vote, meaning no amendments would be permitted, in the General Assembly. That would prevent politicians from adding carve-outs and other special rules for their local districts.
If done properly, school district consolidation would lead to significant savings for both local taxpayers and the state – and, if residents demand it, could lead to even greater reforms in education.
Based on Ted Dabrowski’s report and John Klingner presentation of the paths to consolidation, come prepared to share your views on:
a) What your learned: the facts about school districts spending
b) Your vote: Local Consolidation path vs State Legislation path.
c) Now what?
