District 3 passes balanced budget

The recession has forced many suburban school officials to make cuts or gird themselves for two years of austerity. Fox River Grove School District 3 is a rare exception.

By unanimous vote, the District 3 school board this week passed a balanced budget without having to make reductions. District officials project a 1 percent surplus at the end of the 2009-10 school year.

"With the community supporting a tax rate increase back in '04, we kind of were prepared for this day, for this economy where we weren't hit hard and didn't have to gut programs," Superintendent Tim Mahaffy said.

It also has helped that District 3's extracurricular activities became mostly volunteer-run after the last tax hike, saving the district money formerly spent to pay club sponsors and coaches.

Without the $1.1 million renovation of Algonquin Road School, District 3's budget includes about $6.5 million in revenue and $6.4 million in spending, according to the district. The district, which has experienced flat enrollment, spent almost as much last year.

Although District 3 was able to avoid cuts, there will be few new initiatives this year. Among the limited new spending is about $93,000 for two used buses, part of the district's five-year capital plan.

District officials expect to receive more than $125,000 this year in federal stimulus funds for special education and low-income students. The funds will help the district upgrade classroom technology and train teachers to spot and address academic problems early in a student's career.

In January, district leaders will start planning for next year's budget. The situation may not be as rosy as this year because the district will have only about $13,000 in federal stimulus money to spend, Mahaffy said.

"We'll just try to be frugal, responsible, without impacting education," the superintendent said.