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A poverty problem
Coles County has been placed on Illinois' warning list for poverty
Rob Siebert/Senior City Reporter
Issue date: 2/28/07 Section: News
Coles County has been placed on the Illinois Poverty Summit's warning list for 2007.
In the Summit's 2007 report, Coles County's poverty level was reported to be 14.4 percent as of 2004. The state average is 11.9 percent.
Four indicators were used in the report: poverty rates, high school graduation rates, unemployment rates and teen birth rates.
A point was given to a county if a certain rate was higher than the state average, or it had increased from the previous year. Counties with more than six points were placed on the warning list.
The report documented that Coles County had 5,000 to 9,999 people in poverty in 2004.
Mayor John Inyart said the data may be tainted by the inclusion of Eastern students who don't have a lot of money.
However, Inyart added there are a number of residents who live with a certain amount of difficulty.
"I think we have many people who struggle to live week to week," Inyart said. "But I'm not sure I agree with the report that we are measurably worse than the rest of the state."
The county's high school graduation rate was 86.5 percent in 2006, 1 point lower than in 2005. The state average was 87.8 percent.
Gary Niehaus, superintendent of Charleston Community High School District 1, said he is happy with the district's high school graduation rate, though it can always get better.
He estimated that out of about 200 students, the district gets around 20 high school dropouts every year, many of who later return.
Niehaus suggested that many students opt not to drop out permanently because of a Midwestern community value they are instilled with, which conditions them not to quit.
The area's teen birth rate was 10.4 percent as of 2004, which is a 1.4 percent decline from 2003. The state average teen birth rate was 9.9 percent.
Chris Bugle, executive director of the Crisis Pregnancy Center of Eastern Illinois, said that one of the reasons teen pregnancies are higher in more rural communities is that the younger residents are unable to afford abortions.
In the Summit's 2007 report, Coles County's poverty level was reported to be 14.4 percent as of 2004. The state average is 11.9 percent.
Four indicators were used in the report: poverty rates, high school graduation rates, unemployment rates and teen birth rates.
A point was given to a county if a certain rate was higher than the state average, or it had increased from the previous year. Counties with more than six points were placed on the warning list.
The report documented that Coles County had 5,000 to 9,999 people in poverty in 2004.
Mayor John Inyart said the data may be tainted by the inclusion of Eastern students who don't have a lot of money.
However, Inyart added there are a number of residents who live with a certain amount of difficulty.
"I think we have many people who struggle to live week to week," Inyart said. "But I'm not sure I agree with the report that we are measurably worse than the rest of the state."
The county's high school graduation rate was 86.5 percent in 2006, 1 point lower than in 2005. The state average was 87.8 percent.
Gary Niehaus, superintendent of Charleston Community High School District 1, said he is happy with the district's high school graduation rate, though it can always get better.
He estimated that out of about 200 students, the district gets around 20 high school dropouts every year, many of who later return.
Niehaus suggested that many students opt not to drop out permanently because of a Midwestern community value they are instilled with, which conditions them not to quit.
The area's teen birth rate was 10.4 percent as of 2004, which is a 1.4 percent decline from 2003. The state average teen birth rate was 9.9 percent.
Chris Bugle, executive director of the Crisis Pregnancy Center of Eastern Illinois, said that one of the reasons teen pregnancies are higher in more rural communities is that the younger residents are unable to afford abortions.
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