District 128 board approves operating budget

The Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128 board of education has approved a budget for the 2012 fiscal year.

The vote on Aug. 22 followed the board’s systematic process of discussing the budget, which included discussions at two finance and facilities committee meetings, one budget hearing, and one regular board meeting.

“The board is pleased with the continued financial health of the district, and the budget discussions were extensive, thorough and productive,” board President Pat Groody stated.

The $80 million operating budget is balanced and about 1.2 percent greater than the 2011 operating budget.

The budget reflects an approximate $500,000 cost reduction in the area of personnel, due to a large number of teacher retirements and class-size increases.

“We realized savings through the retirement of veteran teachers and the hiring of teachers new to the district,” noted Yasmine Dada, assistant superintendent for business.

The state and national financial climate has created several areas of concern regarding the District 128 budget.

“Overall reduction in federal and state funding, coupled with rising costs to local districts, is clearly a concern,” said Superintendent Prentiss Lea.