A proposal for the Lake County Board to loan $1 million to the deficit-ridden North Chicago schools is prohibited by state law, according to a spokesman for State’s Atty. Michael Waller.
A county loan to North Chicago Unit District 187 could be made only if the school district submitted to state supervision of its finances, Assistant State’s Atty. Mitchell Hoffman said.
A county bailout of the North Chicago school board, which voted in March to dissolve due to financial problems, was proposed by County Board members from North Chicago and Waukegan last week.
Under Illinois law, the state would set up a board to oversee the finances of any district determined by the state to be eligible for emergency financial relief. The county could loan money to that board, but not directly to the district, Hoffman said.
But the North Chicago school board has not applied to the state for the emergency relief status that would make it eligible for financial help.
Some North Chicago school board members are concerned that submitting to state supervision would jeopardize their curriculum, school board President Pamela Johnson said.
“We want to keep the integrity of our program intact,” Johnson said. “We don’t want them to think they can come in and take things apart.”
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Johnson said the board, however, had not ruled out the possibility of petitioning for emergency aid.