Tagged: Illinois

Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel says the current drought conditions have been slowly developing since the start of the calendar year.

"Every month, this year, has been below normal on precipitation and above normal on temperatures," says Angel.  "You get that combination going and we were drying out in March, which is normally the 'budding' month."

Angel says the situation was not helped by a dry winter, which depleted some soil moisture, and less rain last summer and fall.

He says the drought is also feeding on itself. 

The Illinois commission charged with reviewing the operation of the state's regional offices of education says the governor is wrong to try to shift funding to local government.

The Streamlining Illinois' Regional Offices of Education Commission has concluded its study. It wants funding for the offices to come from the state's general revenue fund.

Governor Pat Quinn wants to pay for the offices out of the Corporate Personal Replacement Property Tax which the state collects then passes along to local governmental bodies.

A public policy group at the University of Illinois says the State University Retirement System (SURS) needs to be stabilized but not reformed.

The Institute for Government and Public Affairs proposal includes contributions from universities to the fund for the first time. The plan calls for universities to phase-in their contributions until they reach 3% in the third year.

The Illinois State Board of Education is getting feedback on a possible change to the way it calculates reimbursements to districts.

Districts are supposed to be paid the actual costs of busing students to and from school.

Monmouth-Roseville Superintendent Paul Woehlke said that would change if the ISBE has its way.