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St. Charles school budget balances little new income with lower salary costs

The new budget for St. Charles schools will see expenses rise by less than 1 percent. And that's good news because the district's income will also only increase by less than 1 percent, balancing the books on the 2015-16 fiscal year. With major budget decisions on the horizon, the coming new fiscal year may be the last that doesn't involve big changes.

District 303 school board members unanimously approved the new budget this week. They gave particular praise to administration for reflecting the board's goal of "above average academics at average costs."

The cost side of the district's ledger will increase by 0.52 percent for a budget about $191 million. A health insurance cost increase of 12.5 percent is driving most of the added expenses. Salary costs for teachers, support staff and administrators will actually fall by 2.7 percent but still reflect $99.79 million of the total budget. It's not common to see that salary line item fall. The reduction comes from 19 full-time positions being cut via attrition and as a result of the district's declining student enrollment.

As far as income, an unexpected boost in the amount of general state aid fuels the expectations of a 0.72 percent increase in revenue. That's down from the 2.16 percent overall increase the district budgeted for the current fiscal year.

Other sources of income are virtually flat. Nearly 80 percent of the district's income stems from local property taxes. District officials are not expecting any major new construction, and the consumer price index (which impacts how much the district can increase the amount of property taxes it collects) will only be 0.8 percent.

"I want to thank the administration, sincerely, for keeping us, in very trying times, balanced," school board member Corinne Pierog said.

Likewise, board member Ed McNally pointed to the relatively minor increase in expenses as a win for taxpayers.

"The lower (the increase) the better," McNally said. "That 0.5 percent is certainly pleasing."

This might be one of the last budgets where the school board doesn't have to manage a slew of moving targets. The state's budget problems are expected to impact school funding from general state aid to how much the local districts must pay into teachers' pension funds. The district's declining enrollment is also fueling a discussion about closing up to three schools, cutting staff and redrawing the attendance boundary lines for every neighborhood.

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