Alton Community Unit School District 11 is one of four Madison County school districts placed on the state of Illinois’s financial watch list. (Photo courtesy of Alton CUSD 11)

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has placed four Madison County school districts — Edwardsville Community Unit School District (CUSD) 7, Triad CUSD 2, Alton CUSD 11 and Bethalto CUSD 8 —  on its financial watch list for 2017.

The ISBE has dropped two St. Clair County school districts — Belleville Township High School District (HSD) 201 and Brooklyn Unified District (UD) 188 — from its watch list this year; meaning no school districts that county are currently on the board’s roster of the most financially troubled school systems in Illinois.

Monroe County likewise has no school districts on the state financial watch list this year.

The ISBE’s Fiscal Year 2017 School District Financial Profile Scores, released April 24, recognizes more than two dozen Metro East-area school district for meeting the state’s fiscal standards for public primary and secondary educational institutions.

Recognition of financial soundness requires a rating of at least “3” on the ISBE’s decimal scoring system. Metro East-area schools earning top-level scores of “4” this year were Germantown School District (SD) 60, Red Bud CUSD 132, Shiloh CUSD 1, and Venice CUSD 3.

However, more than two dozen will be under ISBE review this year, after failing to meet all the state’s criteria for financial soundness. Administrators will be required to file documentation with the state school board over the coming months indicating progress toward improved financial stability.

Another 10 area school districts, including the Brooklyn district, will be on the ISBE’s “early warning” list of school system at risk of severe financial problems.  Those district will draw extra scrutiny from state regulators over the coming months.

The ISBE annually rates the fiscal soundness of Illinois school district based on spending levels, cash on hand, debt and other factors.

The 2017 ratings are based on fiscal year 2016 annual financial reports from local school districts.

: Belleville Township High School District 201 is one of two St. Clair County school districts removed from the state’s watch list for 2017. (Photo courtesy of Belleville HSD 201)

The Bethalto School District, Cahokia CUSD 187 (which appears on the ISBE’s early warning list), Grant CUSD 110 and Wood River Hartford School District 15 are among 17 Illinois school districts, which are suing the state for imposing stringent new special education standards without providing additional funding to help districts meet those standards.

The ISBE’s 2017 fiscal status ratings for Metro East-area school districts are as follows:

Albers SD 63 — Recognition

Alton CUSD 11 —  Watch

Aviston SD 21 — Review

Bartelso SD 57 — Review

Belle Valley SD 119 —Review

Belleville SD 118 — Early Warning

Belleville Township HSD 201 — Review

Bethalto CUSD 8 — Watch

Bond County CUSD — Early Warning

Breese ESD 12 — Review

Brooklyn UD 188 — Early Warning

Bunker Hill CUSD 8 — Recognition

Cahokia CUSD 187 — Early Warning

Carlinville CUSD 1 — Recognition

Carlyle CUSD 1 — Recognition

Chester CUSD 139 — Early Warning

Chester N HSD 122 — Recognition

Collinsville CUSD 10 — Recognition

Columbia CUSD 4 — Recognition

Coulterville USD 1 — Recognition

Dupo CUSD 196 — Recognition

East Alton SD 13 — Early Warning

East Alton-Wood River CHSD 14 — Review

East St Louis SD 189 — Recognition

Edwardsville CUSD 7 — Watch

Freeburg CCSD 70 — Recognition

Freeburg CHSD 77 — Watch

Germantown SD 60 — Recognition

Gillespie CUSD 7 —Review

Granite City CUSD 9 — Review

Grant CCSD 110 — Review

Harmony Emge SD 175 — Early Warning

High Mount SD 116 — Review

Highland CUSD 5 —Review

Jacksonville SD 117 — Recognition

Jersey CUSD 100 — Review

Lebanon CUSD 9 — Review

Litchfield CUSD 12 — Review

Madison CUSD 12 — Early Warning

Marissa CUSD 40 — Review

Mascoutah CUD 19 — Review

Millstadt CCSD 160 — Early Warning

Mount Olive CUSD 5 — Review

Nashville CCSD 49 — Recognition

Nashville CHSD 99 — Recognition

New Athens CUSD 60 — Recognition

O Fallon CCSD 90 — Early Warning

O Fallon Township HSD 203 — Review

Pontiac-W Holliday SD 105 — Recognition

Prairie Du Rocher CCSD 134 — Recognition

Red Bud CUSD 132 — Recognition

Roxana CUSD 1 — Recognition

Shiloh CUSD 1 — Recognition

Shiloh Village SD 85 — Review

Signal Hill SD 181 — Recognition

Smithton CCSD 130 — Recognition

Sparta CUSD 140 — Early Warning

St Libory Consolidated SD 30 — Review

St Rose SD 14-15 — Recognition

Staunton CUSD 6 — Recognition

Steeleville CUSD 138 — Review

Valmeyer CUSD 3 — Recognition

Venice CUSD 3 — Recognition

Waterloo CUSD 5 — Review

Wesclin CUSD 3 — Review

Whiteside SD 115 — Review

Wolf Branch SD 113 — Recognition

Wood River-Hartford ESD 15 — Review

— Four Madison County school districts on financial watch list —