SPRINGFIELD | The Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice says six of its eight youth prisons now are providing full-time school for detainees who qualify, but teachers, frontline staff and union members at the facilities say that isn't entirely true.

The situation with the youth prison school system has been a persistent problem in the department, which was spun off of the Illinois Department of Corrections nearly two years ago and since has not had a permanent director. The department appointed the first superintendent for its school system in April.

The youth prisons stand to receive what union spokesman Anders Lindall called "substantial increases" in funding under the recently approved state budget, including $2 million for the hiring of additional teachers.

Lindall, of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, expressed hope the governor will leave the agency's funding intact, as the department has fallen prey to reductions in its budget at the governor's hands in the past.

"It shouldn't (be cut) - particularly given the amount of lip service paid by this administration to juvenile justice reform," Lindall said.

Since Superintendent Lanee Walls' appointment, the department said the Illinois Youth Centers in Grafton, Harrisburg, Joliet, Murphysboro, St. Charles and Warrenville are providing full-time school to all detainees.

Teacher Susan Sidwell and union leader Jan Bradley, both employees of the St. Charles facility, disputed the statement, saying the facility provided half-day school to only about half the youths due to persistent staffing shortages.

Bradley said in a recent interview that the situation with the facility's school remains the same.

The situation at the Warrenville facility is different, said John Blair, a youth supervisor there. The facility started full-time classes for all youths at the beginning of April, and the classes are tailored to each individual's skill levels.

Blair said as a result, disciplinary problems have seen a significant drop.

"A lot of the youths would be in classes that their level is not where it's supposed to be, and sometimes as an output they would act out in class -- do anything not to participate because they don't want to be embarrassed," Blair said.

Kurt Friedenauer, the interim director of the Department of Juvenile Justice, said the department has faced challenges in recruiting teachers.

"We've made progress and now we have full-time education at Warrenville, and we're moving very quickly to have full-time education at the only other two facilities that still don't have full-time education," Friedenauer said.

Union leaders Duane Montgomery, of the Grafton facility, and Brad Tanner, of IYC-Harrisburg, also reported a full load of classes for all of their youths.

The situation is not the same at the youth prison in Murphysboro, said union leader Nathan Dillow.

"The problem is the ratio of students to teachers is not that bad, but because they're missing certain key teachers, half the time they're calling out school and putting a movie in," Dillow said.

Dillow said the result is often that the facility will have half-days, which still count as full school days by the state's reckoning.

Derek Schnapp, a spokesman for the department, said youths at Murphysboro are receiving full credit for their schooling.

The problem at IYC-Joliet is not a shortage of teachers, but of security staff, said union leader Pat Sanders.

Sanders said moving youths from one area to another safely often means taking longer amounts of time and cutting into classroom hours.

"They probably get shorted an hour a day out of the classroom because of line movement because they bring them in late and let them out early," Sanders said.

Schnapp dismissed claims by the union leaders of less than full-time school as false.