Tough financial decisions facing Roselle District 12

Roselle Elementary District 12 employs more than 80 teachers and education support personnel who not only share a deep, passionate commitment to providing the best education possible for every one of our 700 children, but who also keep to the promise that their learning takes place in a safe, secure environment - always.

In meeting that special responsibility, we also recognize the obligation we have to the residents of Roselle to keep a close eye on their hard-earned tax dollars - spending wisely, directing the lion's share of every dollar to classroom learning, doing more with less and paying assiduous attention to living within the means taxpayers were already providing.

We are very proud of our record, not only in the classroom, but of being fiscally responsible and accountable to those who have to pick up the tab, so that we might effectively and efficiently provide the kind of world class education every child deserves and every parent expects.

We've achieved all this in the midst of overregulation from the state that has drained the district's checkbook. We've worked to maintain the highest possible classroom standards, while the politicians in Springfield continue to make draconian cuts in aid to education and we've labored tirelessly to overcome the additional financial burden placed on our classrooms by a weak commercial tax base and an economic recession that devastated property values.

Looming legislation promises to pose an even greater threat to the District 12 community and specifically to our school district.

I'm sure every family in our community has experienced a "burning of the financial candle at both ends" - having less money available, while prices for everything continue to increase.

District 12 is certainly no different. Our day-to-day costs for insurance, utilities, building maintenance, roof repairs, boilers, plumbing repairs, lighting and more, continue to increase while dollars for schools continue to decline.

We are proud that we were able to accomplish some great instructional improvements last school year while maintaining an observant eye on the budget. By spending differently in the area of technology, we were able to accomplish a technology pilot and lease 400 Chromebooks that are now in the hands of students.

Our school buildings have been incredibly well maintained because of the commitment and skills of a very small, but dedicated custodial staff. However, we have aging buildings that need significant repairs and replacements and mechanical systems that have already outlived their life expectancy because of our commitment to spend wisely.

We're not looking for a pat on the back. After all, educating children and doing so in a fiscally responsible way is our job. But holding things together with duct tape and Band-Aids can last only so long and relying on outdated text books and educational equipment short changes every child.

So, we're being forced to do something we haven't done in more than 35 years: ask the residents of Roselle to help us.

It may come as a shock, but some schools in Illinois have heated sidewalks. They provide students with state-of-the-art technology. They have drama programs that would be the envy of any off-Broadway theater company and sports departments that would rival many professional farm teams.

I'm not talking about a need for this, as wonderful as it would be.

I'm not talking about new landscaping for administrative offices or purchasing furniture for teacher lounges or self-erasing blackboards. I'm talking about helping us, to help every child in our community become responsible, successful citizens.

I'm talking about meeting the desperate need that exists in Roselle's schools for updated textbooks, quality instructional materials and equipment, making sure we keep the best, highest qualified teachers are in our classrooms and guaranteeing that each school offers a clean, safe environment conducive to learning.

No one would expect a business to compete or succeed without the necessary tools, professional staff and facilities to get the job done. Schools are no different.

I believe, as I'm sure many of you do, that actions speak louder than words. So to every resident of Roselle I say that you can count on your District 12 family to continue meeting its obligation to our children, in a fiscally responsible and accountable way. After all, we've done that for more than 35 years.

We'll continue to hunker down, doing what it takes to make that happen, but we've come to a time when every parent and every resident needs to step up and help us, help our kids. We need to engage in discussion with our families and our community before making some of the very difficult decisions that will have to be made this year.

We hosted community engagement meetings during the 2014-2015 school year, but were not successful at attracting the attention of our parents and of our community.

Soon, very difficult decisions will need to be made by the board of education. We anticipate a deficit for the 2016-2017 school year that is approaching $1 million. Balancing our budget would equate to cutting one-12th of our already stretched budget.

Clearly the impact of such cuts and reductions will impact the programs and services that we can offer to our students. We want our families and communities to be well-informed and have an opportunity to engage in dialogue with the board prior to decisions being made.

Please don't wait until after decisions are made to voice your input. To get a better idea of what programs and services the board will have to consider reducing or eliminating, please refer to the Community Engagement area of our website (www.sd12.k12.il.us/CommunityEngagement.aspx).

To learn more about the job we've done, our successes, the needs our children have and specifically, how your tax dollars have been spent, we invite you to attend any of our District 12 school board meetings. You can obtain a schedule by logging onto our website at www.sd12.k12.il.us

We value your input and seek it. We want you to be our partner in planning for a bright future for our children and our community.

• Melissa Kaczkowski is superintendent of Roselle Elementary District 12. Her column appears monthly during the school year in Neighbor.