Dist. 220 again sees a budget painted black

For the 11th straight year, Barrington Area Unit District 220 will be in the black.

On Tuesday, the district's school approved the 2007-08 tentative budget, which calls for the spending of $105.7 million.

Gary Frisch, the district's chief financial officer, said the district is expecting to take in about $110.5 million in revenue next year, 80 percent of which comes from local property taxes.

"We are in a solid financial position," Frisch said.

School Board President Brian Battle said some could argue the district is financially in the best place it has been in many years.

"The district is on very strong financial footing," Battle said.

The Illinois State Board of Education, Frisch said, recently ranked the district in the highest category of financial strength.

"This helps give an understanding to the public as to what financial condition the school district is in," Frisch said on why rankings like that are important.

Of the $105.7 million in expenditures, Frisch said 72 percent will go toward salaries and benefits for the districts staff.

Highlights of the budget, Frisch said, are the addition of more than 23 full-time staffing positions.

Among those are 14 new teachers across all levels, three new teachers for the high school's at-risk program and three-and-a-half special education positions.

"The vast majority of it is to keep those average class sizes where we think they should be," said Superintendent Tom Leonard on the additional teachers.

When the year is complete, Frisch said he estimates the district will have about $40.6 million in its reserve funds.

With such a large reserve fund, Battle said the district now has the option of using some of that money to help pay for some of the district's pressing facility needs.

"We now have a fund balance that gives us some flexibility," Battle said.

Also on Tuesday, the school board decided to move its meeting dates to the first and third Tuesday of each month, instead of the second and fourth.

For the rest of the year, meetings are scheduled for Aug. 21, Sept. 11 and 25, Oct. 9 and 23, Nov. 13 and 27 and Dec. 11.