Large-scale district consolidation in Illinois would cost nearly $4 billion

From The Quad City Times: Merging the 800-plus school districts in Illinois into a more manageable number could cost nearly $4 billion, according to a recent report that may kill any chance that a commission will recommend a major consolidation. Members of the Classrooms First Commission said they see little support for a sweeping consolidation of school districts, which Gov. Pat Quinn proposed as a way to save about $100 million. His idea to merge the state's 868 districts into just 300 was based on the potential savings that would come from reducing the number of school administrators. But it didn't account for the financial incentives that state law promises to merging districts--primarily additional money for salaries.