Dist. 300 looks to trim budget by $8.3 million

With the state lagging millions of dollars behind in payments, and contract negotiations under way with the teachers union and other employment groups, Community Unit District 300 school administrators presented a plan to ensure the “economic survivability of the school district.”

School leaders on Monday outlined the plan to cut about $8.3 million from the 2011-2012 budget. Chief Financial Officer Cheryl Crates said the district would end the current school year about $6.3 million in the red. If the state fails to pay the district the $18.4 million it owes this year, that deficit could balloon to $24.7 million.

Furthermore, Crates estimates the district will have a deficit of at least $8.3 million in 2011-2012, assuming the state makes all four of its payments.

“The school district is held hostage to the fact that the state has no money to pay its bills,” Crates said.

About $3.1 million of the proposed cuts come from eliminating or reducing programs. The remaining $5.2 million in recommended reductions are contingent upon insurance, wage and benefit concessions from the various employment groups.

The program reductions were part of the districtwide Educational Program Review Technique, which evaluates and analyzes all programs to determine the best areas for reduction or elimination.

“We are already a very lean machine here in District 300,” said Michael Bregy, the district's next superintendent. “We have continuously made cuts over the years. Even getting to $3.1 million was very difficult.”

Sports/extracurricular activities were the top-ranked programs to cut or reduce. Administrators estimated reducing programs at both the middle and high school level would save the district about $135,000.

The largest cost-savings would come in the area of transportation. By consolidating bus stops and negotiating contracts with vendors, administrators estimated the district would save about $1.1 million.

If wage and benefit concessions are not made to trim $5.2 million from the 2011-2012 budget, administrators prepared a list of other options, which would include closing a school and restructuring secondary schools.

A copy of the district's proposal is available at d300.org under the budget link.