GOP to ELL Students: What’s Your Hurry?

by David Safier

(TASL) You’ve waited 16 years, kids. What’s another five weeks between friends?

That’s the attitude of the House Majority Leader Tom Boone (R-Peoria) and his Republican friends in the legislature working in concert with the Ed. Supe’s office. They convinced Judge Collins to give them until April 15 to come up with funding for ELL programs.

If you remember, they got an extension back in 2006, after they missed a previous deadline and were penalized $21 million for the delay. The funds were never collected.

And that was after 6 years of stalling on the 2000 court ruling, which has now increased to 8 years of stalling.

This time, Collins promises $2 million/day in fines after April 14, and that will go up to $5 million/day if the State hasn’t funded the programs by May 15.

The drama continues. Horne says the schools need $40.6 million, but he only wants to give them half that. The schools themselves have come up with a slightly higher figure — $276.4 million. Round and round we go, and when this stops . . .