State budget plan includes $171 million cut to public schools - chicagotribune.com

State budget plan includes $171 million cut to public schools - chicagotribune.com: "The state budget plan now in Gov. Pat Quinn's hands would slash $171 million in public school funding, erasing financial support for everything from teacher and principal mentoring to state writing tests for high school students.

One of the biggest blows state lawmakers dealt is to general state aid — money that flows directly to school districts based on student enrollments — with a proposed reduction of $152.2 million. The minimum amount spent to educate every Illinois public school student will remain at $6,119, however, with local school districts shouldering a larger share of the cost, according to budget estimates.

Spending for early childhood education could decline by $17.1 million, more than $50 million less than what the governor requested. As many as 5,000 fewer 3- and 4-year-olds will be served, said Diana Rauner, president of the Ounce of Prevention Fund."