District 300 cuts Preschool for All aides

Community Unit District 300 released 23 employees Monday as part of previously expected cuts, a move that will save at least $800,000, officials said.

Most of the employees were tied to Preschool for All, a state program that provides preschool to at-risk children.

The state has delayed or cut funding to many school programs; Preschool for All is no exception.

Because of the uncertainty of state funding, District 300 is discontinuing the program next year.

“We have no other funds to pay for those positions,” board member Joe Stevens said.

Teachers who work in the Preschool for All program were dismissed in March as part of 363 budget-related layoffs.

On Monday, District 300 released another 21 employees comprising grant writers and paraprofessionals (teacher aides) who support Preschool for All.

Some of the teachers laid off in March may be hired back — including Preschool for All teachers, if the funds come through — although district officials cautioned Monday that the district’s financial difficulties could get worse.

Superintendent-elect Michael Bregy said District 300 could be $5 million to $18 million in the hole next year, which would be the district’s worst fiscal crisis since 2006, when voters approved a tax increase that erased a $27 million deficit.

“Our situation is dire at best,” Stevens said. “We have a long-term financial problem, and we’re going to have to continue to be creative.”

The district also eliminated two nonunion positions Monday: a building manager and a night custodial supervisor, both budget-related.

Unlike Preschool for All, “it’s a cut that won’t affect students directly,” Human Resources Director John Light said.

Bregy, with the guidance of the school board, plans to make a decision in the next two weeks on a middle and high school reorganization plan that could save more than $5 million.

District leaders are still hoping to obtain millions of dollars in concessions from the teachers union. Negotiations are ongoing.