District 300 Moves Forward With Budget Cuts

District 300 student registration fees won’t increase next year, and the future of the Preschool for All program is uncertain, but the district will send release notices to PFA teachers, should state funding fail to arrive.

District 300 School Board approved about $8 million in budget cuts Monday night. Almost $5.4 million of that is dependent upon the outcome of ongoing negotiations between District 300 and employee groups.

The proposal to raise student registration fees by five percent next year failed. The fee hike, equivalent to $5 extra per student, would have generated $71,226 in revenue for the district, according Chief Financial Officer Cheryl Crates.

However, four of the seven board members opposed the hike.

“We may not have one of the highest registration fees in the area, but we have one of the highest sports (participation) fees,” Board Member Monica Clark said. “I’m not going to pass an additional fee onto the families.”

In regards to the district’s Preschool for All Program, a state-funded program serving 460 students, the board postponed voting to cut the program at a savings of $1 million. For now, administrators will wait to see if any state money arrives. To date, the district 300 has not received any funding for the grant program this year, District Spokeswoman Allison Strupeck said. 

Instead, school board members voted in favor of sending release notices to the 11.5 preschool teachers and 11.5 paraprofessionals, to meet statutory requirements for job loss notification. Superintendent-Elect Michael Bregy said the district had a “fiscal responsibility” to send the notices, or pay more money later in the form of unemployment compensation.

Several parents asked the board to spare the program.

"If it were not for the Preschool for All program, my son wouldn't be able to attend preschool at all," said parent Michelle Sparks, of Gilberts. "My biggest concern is that my son is going to be left behind when he gets to kindergarten."

Board members stressed to the more than 100 people attending the meeting that no one wants to cut the preschool program.

“I worry about the risk of dropping this program and those young people coming into kindergarten not prepared,” Board Member Chris Stanton said. “It’s our problem to fix, whether we fix it now or fix it later.”

In a surprise move, the board did not vote on proposals for cuts intended for the 2012-2013 school year. Those proposals included reducing $2.5 million by restructuring the secondary school programs – at middle and high school levels – and eliminating the District 300 Alternative Education program at Oakridge School at a savings of $575,000.

 “I don’t see any value in voting on these items today,” School Board President Joe Stevens said.

Other budget reduction items that were approved include:

• Intramural sports/ extra-curricular budget cut by $135,598.
• Administrative services, reduction of office staff, cut by $325,000.
• Secondary electives at the high school, $256,370. This cut may increase class sizes. Classes that don’t have enough student participation would be eliminated.
• Counseling services, $180,054. One full-time counselor is retiring, and two other positions would be eliminated.
• Maintenance and operations, $167,432. Reduction of two building managers at Hampshire Middle School and Westfield Community School, and one night custodian supervisor.
• Almost $400,000 to the Special Education Program, currently under review to increase efficiency. Reduction of nine paraprofessionals.
• Title III English Language Learners $150,000. Reduction of four to five paraprofessionals.