District 300 hopefuls debate financial planning

Even though the federal stimulus package could result in a $2.8-million windfall for Community Unit District 300, district officials are contemplating measures to restrain spending next year.

Against that backdrop, candidates for the District 300 school board are debating whether the district needs to improve its financial planning so it can better gauge the cost of a program five or more years down the road.

To remedy what he views as inadequate financial planning, candidate Rob Lee, a member of the Community Finance Committee, has proposed financial impact statements that would estimate the five-year cost of any new district expenditure.

"It makes everything so easy to understand and so transparent," Lee said. "I just don't think board members are going to be as likely to invest in a program if it's going to put us in a financially precarious situation."

District 300 staff and committees already evaluate the cost of new programs on an annual and three-year basis before making a recommendation to the school board, Chief Financial Officer Cheryl Crates said.

Some board candidates said those existing procedures make Lee's proposal redundant.

Candidates Dave Alessio and Dorothy Jordan said the district's finance committee already does what Lee is proposing.

"It's not like a blank check when the board approves a program," said Alessio, a former board member.

Board Vice President Karen Roeckner, who is seeking re-election, said the district needs to study the effectiveness of existing programs before investing in long-term planning.

"We're just trying to look at our existing programs and see what they cost," Roeckner said. "Five years out - that's a little long range."

Board candidate Tracey Perez said a financial impact statement would not necessarily be appropriate or practical for every initiative.

"I certainly think financial accountability is a good thing, but everything won't fit into a box of financial impact statements," Perez said.

Lee said even if there are existing processes, the district does not provide board members and the public with five-year projections on a systematic basis.

"That information isn't readily available," Lee said. "It's not systematic, it's not a process that we can identify and we can use."

Board Secretary Anne Miller, who is running for re-election, could not be reached for comment.