Dist. 300 may face shortfall

Next year, if the State of Illinois does what it has always done, Community Unit District 300 should be OK.

But the state has been acting very unusual lately, lagging on payments to schools and contractors, as it feels the brunt of the global recession and a state budget shortfall.

District 300 officials are preparing for the possibility that the state will not increase the amount of funding it will provide per student in the 2009-10 school year.

If the state doesn't increase per-pupil funding, District 300 officials project the district will face deficit of $3.7 million to $5 million, depending on the rate of inflation.

The potential deficit means district officials will have to start finding ways to streamline operations and cut costs.

It also means the era of new programs and large-scale building driven by the district's 2006 tax increase and rising property values is coming to an end.

"We're not going to be adding anything next year than what we're currently doing and might have to take something away," said school board member Chris Stanton at Monday's board of education meeting.

In the short term, the district will address the potential shortfall with conservative budgeting and not filling vacancies.

The district could save about $1.5 million in salaries and benefits by not filling 30 staff vacancies, Chief Financial Officer Cheryl Crates said Monday in a presentation to the board.

"We wouldn't necessarily be losing anyone we currently have," Crates said.

But she added "We might end up having two years of reductions."

District 300 won't know how much it has to trim its expenses until the state passes its budget and the rate of inflation - which determines next year's tax collections - is known.