Gov. Announces $489 Million in New School Construction Grants

Press Release - Tuesday, September 03, 2002

CHICAGO - Governor George H. Ryan today announced grant recipients for the first half of a two-year, $1 billion state school construction program for 51 school districts throughout Illinois, continuing the State's investment in modern and improved facilities for Illinois' school children.

The Governor made the announcement with Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Chicago Board of Education President Michael Scott and Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan. The Chicago Public Schools will receive almost $98 million or 20 percent of the total school construction grant funds.

"Kids can't learn when they are busy dodging leaks in their classrooms or when they are working in cramped spaces." Governor Ryan said. "During my administration, the state's school construction program has helped build more than 300 new schools and 16,000 new classrooms,"

These school construction grants, coupled with required local matching dollars, will fund construction of 31 new schools; additions or renovations at 114 other out-dated school buildings; nearly 2,300 new classrooms; and educational opportunities for more than 66,550 Illinois children.

Governor Ryan announced the $489 million in grants today during visits to the National Teacher's Academy in Chicago and Thornton Fractional South High School in Lansing. Tomorrow, Ryan will announce school construction grants in Alton, Hutsonville, Decatur and Farmington.

The school construction grant program is funded through Governor Ryan's Illinois FIRST program and helps local school districts relieve overcrowded classrooms and replace old and deteriorating facilities. To date, nearly $2.7 billion in state funds have been awarded to school districts throughout the state through the School Construction Program, which is jointly administered by the Illinois Capital Development Board and the Illinois State Board of Education.

"During my administration, we have contributed nearly $1.5 billion in new money to education by dedicating 51 percent in new revenue to schools and job training," Governor Ryan said. "We have also helped hire more than 10,000 new teachers to work with kids in classrooms all over the state, but one of the most important things we have done is to help build and repair schools."

The school construction program, authorized by the General Assembly in late 1997, is the first state building program to assist local school construction in more than two decades. So far totaling more than $5.5 billion in state and local matching funds, it is one of the largest such programs in the country.

Under the program administered by the Capital Development Board, local school districts must receive a project entitlement and secure the required local share of construction funds before receiving any state grant funds. The grants range from 35 to 75 percent of eligible construction costs. Enhancements such as swimming pools, gymnasiums and auditoriums are not considered eligible project costs and are excluded from all grant calculations.

Currently, only those projects that address emergency needs, crowded classrooms and old buildings are being funded.

Below is a complete list of new grant recipients.

County School District State Share Local Share Cass A-C Central Community Unit School District 262 $1,586,017 $1,306,483 Christian Morrisonville Community Unit School District 1 $1,440,631 $2,001,018 Cook Chicago Public School District 299 $97,771,649 $181,575,920 Cook Chicago Ridge School District 127.5 $6,023,282 $3,962,282 Cook Cicero Public School District 99 $14,770,122 $4,923,374 Cook Country Club Hills School District 160 $3,124,052 $1,041,350 Cook Dolton School District 148 $9,300,500 $3,100,167 Cook Edmund F. Lindop School District 92 $4,935,925 $5,538,697 Cook Evanston School District 65 $4,252,159 $7,896,867 Cook Evergreen Park Elementary School District 124 $1,468,448 $1,313,362 Cook Forest Park School District 91 $1,413,268 $2,503,337 Cook Indian Springs School District 109 $1,350,595 $767,457 Cook Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A $5,007,576 $6,913,379 Cook North Palos Elementary School District 117 $256,394 $423,511 Cook Park Forest-Chicago Heights District 163 $2,745,272 $915,091 Cook South Berwyn School District 100 $13,432,838 $6,775,519 Cook Thornton Fractional Township High School District 215 $19,003,110 $14,954,907 Cook Township High School District 211 $4,157,945 $7,721,899 Cook Township High School District 214 $20,605,815 $38,267,945 Crawford Hutsonville Community Unit School District 1 $4,284,253 $1,893,244 Douglas Arcola Community Unit School District 306 $2,453,094 $3,856,483 DuPage Indian Prairie School District 204 $21,949,424 $37,075,581 DuPage Lake Park High School District 108 $7,904,961 $14,680,641 Edgar Edgar County Community Unit School District 6 $260,413 $306,087 Kane Aurora West Unit School District 129 $11,292,791 $15,554,026 Kane Community Unit School District 300 (Carpentersville) $15,443,484 $25,483,152 Kane Kaneland Community Unit School District 302 $12,252,454 $22,754,557 Kane School District U-46 $1,244,764 $1,254,963 Kane St. Charles Community Unit School District 303 $10,793,183 $20,044,484 Kankakee Bradley Bourbonnais Comm. High School District 307 $638,543 $457,125 Lake Barrington Community Unit School District 220 $5,265,524 $9,778,830 Lake Lake Villa Community Consolidated School District 41 $5,994,011 $4,593,346 Lake Round Lake Area Schools, District 116 $763,328 $674,493 LaSalle Streator Township High School District 40 $19,737,965 $6,579,322 LaSalle Streator Elementary District 44 $6,662,322 $2,220,774 Lee Amboy Community Unit School District 272 $1,154,514 $1,089,239 Macon Decatur School District 61 $16,956,982 $8,585,134 Macoupin Girard Community Unit School District 3 $3,276,342 $1,343,195 Madison Alton Community Unit School District 11 $23,186,217 $26,815,406 McHenry Community High School District 155, Crystal Lake $5,224,655 $7,101,918 McLean LeRoy Community Unit School District 2 $2,956,500 $5,068,177 Menard Athens Community Unit School District 213 $4,473,324 $3,050,659 Peoria Farmington Central Community Unit School District 265 $16,795,074 $14,515,703 Piatt Monticello Community Unit School District 25 $7,682,730 $9,590,387 Pulaski Century Community Unit School District 100 $4,798,877 $1,599,626 Sangamon Springfield School District 186 $12,482,102 $20,000,000 St. Clair O'Fallon Community Consolidated School District 90 $8,697,165 $3,816,400 Will Joliet Township High School District 204 $10,974,483 $14,565,270 Will Valley View Community Unit School District 365-U $23,570,365 $42,640,309 Williamson Crab Orchard Community Unit School District 3 $4,709,098 $1,649,264 Woodford Eureka Community Unit School District 140 $2,333,704 $2,092,181 TOTALS $488,858,244 $622,632,541