FILE - Illinois State Capitol
The Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois.
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Illinois' regional superintendents are back under the microscope at the Illinois Capitol. And they are, once again, worrying about their future. 
A new plan at the statehouse is proposing a task force to look at how Illinois can improve the regional offices of education. But improve also could mean get rid of. 
State Rep. Deb Conroy, D-Villa Park, is the plan's author. She said Illinois has bigger needs for the $12 million that it currently spends on the ROEs.
"I don't feel that the regional superintendents are currently addressing the social and emotional needs of our students," Conroy said. "That's the most critical thing that we need to address right now."
Mark Jontry, the head of Illinois' regional superintendent group, said regional superintendents run alternative schools, work with teachers on their continuing education, and handle all of Illinois' mandates for licensing and safety. 
"Our offices have become really efficient over the past 20 to 30 years, because there have been a number of consolidations over the years," Jontry said. 
In 2011, Illinois cut the state's budget for regional superintendents. That forced consolidation. Illinois went from 102 regional superintendents, one for each county, to 35. 
Jontry said lawmakers realized then that neither local schools nor the Illinois State Board of Education are in a position to do what the ROEs do.
"These offices are viable and necessary," Jontry said. "They provide an abundance of services that otherwise can't be met or delivered."
Conroy said just because the ROEs fill a need is not enough of a reason to keep them. 
She's convinced that the state can get more from school-based mental health centers for $12 million than it can from the existing regional offices. 
"In order to set up a school-based health center, it costs $1 million to start it. And it costs about $250,000 a year to maintain it," Conroy said. "The ROEs are on the table. That's all I'll say about it. They are on the table, to what extent, I don't know."