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Geneva school budget projects $101 million in spending

The Geneva school board will likely approve $101 million in spending, when it votes on the final version of the 2015-16 budget Sept. 28.

The board approved a tentative version Monday. It will be on display at the district office starting Tuesday. It is also available on the district website in the agenda packet for Monday's meeting.

The budget will have a $4.9 million deficit. Most of that is in the bond and interest fund, as the district plans to again use reserves to make part of the payment on outstanding debt. It will also use reserve to pay part of its Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund obligation, a move it has made deliberately for several years. But it also expects to spend $1.485 million more in its operations-and-maintenance fund than it will take in. The district has hit the legal limit for the tax rate for that fund, according to Donna Oberg, the district's assistant superintendent for business services. It doesn't help that it expects to spend $356,000 more for electricity.

In the coming year, Oberg and the district's transportation director are going to study whether to bring some special-education transit services back in-house, instead of hiring outside companies.

Although the board has not voted on a contract with its teachers, it has reached a tentative accord. So changes in their compensation are included in the budget.

The board will vote on the final budget Sept. 28. The fiscal year began July 1. The state gives school districts until the end of September to adopt budgets.

No members of the public attended the budget portion of the meeting.

Board member Mike McCormick asked that Oberg provide a report, before the budget is adopted, comparing the budget request to what was actually spent in the 2014-15 fiscal year, which ended June 30.

The budget includes $356,000 more for electricity than last year's budget.

Geneva schools to ask for more taxes, over board member's objection

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