Illinois' Regional Offices of Education have been a target for budget cuts.
The Governor eliminated the superintendent's salaries last year.
But lawmakers put them back in the budget.
Instead, choosing to cut down on the number of offices in the state.
Two of those offices are in our area, Whiteside and Knox Counties.
The Whiteside Regional Office of Education has too few people in it's district to stay an independent office.
So the state has given it four places it can consolidate into.
Rock Island County to the West, Jo Daviess to the North, Henry to the South, or Lee to it's West.
That's the office Whiteside is leaning toward joining.
But losing the office does not sit well with the people who use it.
"It was kind of hard just having one kid, but just getting there was the problem," says Angel Miller, who was picking up another copy of her GED Wednesday. She was successful in earning the certificate. But for others, the ability to earn one will become more difficult. As consolidation plans spread resources farther apart.
"Especially being young and not having a car and with this town the size of it is, it was better for it to be here rather than it being it miles away," says Miller.
Regional Superintendent Bob Sondgeroth worries about people in similar situations. He says most people wanting a GED are looking for a job. And most likely don't have the ability to travel far to take the GED tests.
"They don't have a car, and if they do have a car, they don't have gas money, and to make them travel 15-20 miles to take those GED tests, they just won't do it."
Sondgeroth says that's one of many issues facing a consolidated regional office. If Lee/Ogle absorbs Whiteside county the new district would cover 25 school districts and nearly 24-thousand students with fewer staff members.
"The Regional Office that absorbs Whiteside County has to do all the work that we do but without the Regional Superintendent that was here and the assistant."
Building permits go through the Regional Office. Safety inspections go through the office. Work the individual districts can't do on their own.
"The larger the area the less time you have to do things like that," says Sondgeroth.
He hopes this current office can remain open as a satellite branch. To make life easier for all those who still live in Whiteside County.
"A lot of people need those kinds of things, and everything else mostly you have to drive a long way and it's just convenient I think for it to be here," says Miller.
Whiteside's consolidation plan won't take effect until the Superintendent's term expires in 2015.
All Regional Offices that are too small must consolidate by that year as well.
Any that don't act will be forcefully consolidated by the state board of education.
