LM Mar 2025

Transportation Gaps Push Higher-Tier Illinois Schools Toward Difficult Decisions

By Jason Nevel IASA Director of Communications

To balance the FY25 budget in Scott-Morgan CUSD #2, Dr. Kevin Blankenship has some gaps to fill. Proration in state transportation funding — 79 percent for regular transportation in FY25 — has left his school district of 180 students in west-central Illinois with a $200,000 deficit in its local transportation fund. To cover the shortfall, Scott-Morgan CUSD #2 needs to transfer money from its general fund to keep its buses

running and routes fulfilled. As a district that recently moved up to Tier 4 after beginning in Tier 1, Dr. Blankenship doesn’t have the benefit of new state revenue to offset his costs. “My school district benefitted greatly from Evidence-Based Funding. It stabilized our budget and allowed us to add staff and put in much-needed supports for students,” Dr. Blankenship said. “On paper, it looks like we now have the

4 LM March 2025