Community rallying for District 95 programs
Fundraisers are becoming plentiful as a June 1 deadline nears for donations toward programs recommended to be cut from next year's budget in Lake Zurich Unit District 95.
Save Lake Zurich Music, a group working to save the fourth and fifth grade band and orchestra program, has the largest mountain to climb. It needs to raise $160,000 to offset the amount the district would save by cutting the program.
That figure was lowered from $200,000 because the program can be run with one less teacher due to the closing of Charles Quentin Elementary School, Superintendent Brian Knutson said.
While $160,000 may seem like a tall order, the group is working at full steam to get there; it has raised about $61,000 and members are continuously looking at more ways to fundraise.
"The people who are working on Save Lake Zurich Music have worked so hard in less than nine weeks," said Janet Barron, co-chair of the group. "People have moved at lightning speed to make this happen."
District 95 faces $4 million in recommended budget cuts as a result of an anticipated decrease in revenue due to the drop in the Consumer Price Index from 4.1 percent to 0.1 percent.
The CPI determines the increase the district can request in the property tax levy. Given the current economic crisis, tax collection rates are also a concern.
"I think the month of June is going to be a critical decision period as we see the first installment of tax receipts," said school board member John Kropf.
Culver's participated in fundraising Wednesday, giving 20 percent of its proceeds from the day to Save Lake Zurich Music. Barron said that amounted to $1,500 and the owners threw in an extra $500 to make it $2,000.
"It was actually one of the busiest days we've ever had in the six years we've been open," said Steve Anichini, owner of the Lake Zurich Culver's.
Anichini estimates there were about 2,500 people in the restaurant Wednesday.
Save Lake Zurich Music hopes to raise more money at a golf outing May 18 at the Arboretum Club, 401 Half Day Rd., Buffalo Grove. Money has also come in from unexpected sources.
"Two weeks ago, we got an anonymous $25,000 donation and we were just jumping up and down about that one," Barron said.
Fundraising efforts are being made for several other programs recommended to be cut, including the high school boy's and girl's golf programs, boy's and girl's bowling programs, freshman and sophomore B boy's basketball, and one theater production.
The Lake Zurich Flames, a youth football organization, will host a District 95 faculty football game as a fundraiser for all the endangered programs. The game, at the Lake Zurich High School football field from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on May 29, will be in place of a fundraiser the Flames usually hold for their own organization.
"We felt that in these trying times, in this economy with everything happening at the school, (our own fundraiser) wasn't as important this year," said Geoff Meyer, a Flames board member.