Funds lost when state budget cut
Read more: Local, State, Community, Education
(Warsaw, Ill.) 12 students in Warsaw, Illinois will not be able to attend pre-school this year.
The district saw an increase of pre school students from 40 to 52.
The state board of education was going to give Warsaw Community Schools $20,000 to furnish a third pre-K classroom and an additional $25,000 this year to offer services to those extra students
After the budget cuts the state of Illinois had to go through, that money will no longer be available.
So Warsaw Elementary will not be able to get a third pre-school room and will not be able to offer services to the 12 students on the waiting list.
"The worst part about it is the kids really need pre-k to be able to start kindergarten and be successful with their pre-reading skills and such," said Warsaw Superintendent Kim Schilson. "The current students will not lose pre-k services they were going to receive. It's those extra kids that we're going to have a section for them that will completely lose out, they won't have services."
What have parents been saying about this?
"The concern is of course, it's late to find out all of a sudden 'Hey I don't have pre-school for my child this fall,' said Schilson. "Our principal and our elementary teacher have called each of the parents and explained what's happened. They're very understanding with the school, but also very upset with the state that they've allowed the budget to come in this late and to slash education like it did."
Cuts to the pre-k grant for Warsaw also chopped transportation for those students.
But the district will pay for that as long as it can.
