District 211 candidates debate finances, management

Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211's finances and management of resources were among the hotly debated topics at a recent forum of the six candidates vying for three open seats on the school board in the April 4 election.

The unified slate of Ralph Bonatz, Katherine Jee Young David and Jean Forrest is opposing the three independent candidates who are incumbents - Anna Klimkowicz and Robert LeFevre Jr. and former board member Edward Yung.

Bonatz said that as a slate of nonincumbents, he and his running mates have been cautious about overpromising results. But he added there are some areas he recognizes as ripe for change.

"What we do know is that the district is on firm financial footing and has reserves well above its guidelines," Bonatz said.

He questioned the district's more than 40-year ownership of 60 undeveloped acres in Schaumburg and capital improvement decisions such as renovating all five of its swimming pools at one continuous stretch.

Bonatz added he sees the goal of lowering the District 211 portion of residents' tax bills as achievable, and his entire slate supports changing current practice and having board representation present during contract negotiations.

David complained she feels her property taxes are going up but her property values are not. She conceded District 211 is a great district and that many real estate decisions are based on an area's schools.

She applauded the district's recent efforts to solicit community feedback on future uses for the 60 acres in Schaumburg, but suggested a multiple-choice survey might have provided a more firm direction than an open-ended question.

David also suggested financial reserves - exceeding half a year's operations when only a third of a year is called for - were excessive.

Forrest said property taxes have topped the list of complaints she's heard while campaigning door-to-door. She added she believes her own taxes have gone up 40 percent in the past five years.

But she said that as a District 211 resident for nearly 20 years, she believes it to be among the best in Illinois. She added she would strive to have a good relationship with the administration, but believes her professional experience as an actuary could help the district lower taxes without compromising academic standards.

"With my background and experience, I think I could help," Forrest said.

Klimkowicz, a 19-year board member, said it was her insistence that led the district to pursue and complete its new strategic plan as a basis for its financial and management decisions during the next few years.

She, too, said she'd like to see one or two board members begin to attend the contract negotiations.

She championed the district's current financial situation - scheduled to be debt-free by the end of the year but able to abate more than $30 million in taxes in recent years while maintaining the reserves for necessary capital improvements.

District 211 has been resourceful in finding savings in everything down to restructuring the employee health insurance plan, but was able to open the Higgins Education Center in Hoffman Estates to better serve special-needs students, Klimkowicz said.

"As we move forward, we're very conscious of the expenses and the limited revenue that we have," she added.

LeFevre said a love for property tax relief is what unites everyone, but the truth is school district financing rules are set by a different level of government. Within those rules, District 211 has created a financial situation opposite end of the state of Illinois', he added.

"Mistakes in school district financing are almost unrecoverable," LeFevre said. "It is important to maintain a stable and sustainable financial base."

Last decade, voters approved a referendum that set the district in a correct financial direction that should never be abandoned, he said.

While the board as a whole should be involved in oversight of new contracts, individual members should not take an active role in the negotiations and aren't qualified for the responsibility, LeFevre said.

Yung said school finance is a complex issue, but that under the current system property taxes can't be eliminated while still maintaining an expected quality of education.

He added that issues like unfunded mandates from the state and federal governments, and tax appeals by commercial property owners makes the task of balancing the budget more difficult than an outsider to the process might recognize.

It's long-range plans and goals - like the new strategic plan Klimkowicz championed - that keep a school district on course amid many challenges to achieve its primary purpose of educating young people, Yung said.

"I think it's the key to everything in life," he added. "I also want to make sure we stay within the means of our budget."

Yung, too, advocated for a school board representative to be present at contract negotiations, but that the talks actually be conducted by a professional negotiator as they always have been.

The District 211 candidates will take part in another forum at 10:15 a.m. Saturday, March 18, at Palatine village hall, 200 E. Wood St. that will be moderated by the League of Women Voters of the Palatine Area.

Their forum will be preceded by one for Palatine Library board candidates at 9 a.m. and followed by another for Palatine Township Elementary District 15 at 11:15 a.m.