Illinois schools have fired more than 2,600 teachers this year 

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

Fewer Illinois school districts are in serious financial trouble this school year — but apparently at the cost of more than 2,600 fewer teachers.

The Illinois State Board of Education released data Wednesday showing that even counting the fact that the state has been as much as $1 billion behind in its payments to districts this school year, 32 school districts made the “financial watchlist’’ this school year, down from 39 districts last school year.

The more solid financial footing came at the cost of some “painful decisions’’ by districts, said State Board spokeswoman Mary Fergus.

“There’s been a lot of reductions in force across the state. Districts have cut programs, They’ve cut music and art and lots of extras, like reading coaches,’’ Fergus said.

A new state board “Reduction in Force Survey” showed that 2,102 Illinois teaching jobs had been cut as of September 2010 — not counting another 554 teaching jobs lost in Chicago alone, according to Chicago Teacher Union figures. That reduction compares to 1,438 teaching jobs — inside and outside Chicago — trimmed statewide in the fall of 2009.

In Illinois, 66 percent of districts reported laying off teachers going into this school year, compared to only 49 percent the year before, the state board survey showed.