District 300 sets $6 million target for budget cuts

For months, officials in Community Unit District 300 have said they will have to make cuts next year to bring the district's budget in line with reduced state funding.

What officials haven't said is exactly how much the district will need to trim.

The answer came this week: $6 million.

That is the amount District 300 officials say they will seek to save when they present a proposed list of budget cuts to the school board next month.

That number, though, could change, depending on whether the state cuts funding for education next year and whether the state pays the $8.6 million it owes the district this year.

"The fact of the matter is we don't know," board President Joe Stevens said. "It's our best guess at this time that we have to cut $6 million."

District leaders are considering staff cuts, an across-the-board salary freeze, furlough days and cuts to kindergarten music and physical education class to balance the 2010-11 budget.

Administrators will present a formal list of proposed reductions on Jan. 15, and the board could vote on the proposals in late February, according to the district.

It is unclear how the school board would meet a state-mandated mid-March deadline to notify teachers of potential layoffs for the 2010-2011 school year. Negotiation with the unions that represent teachers, custodians and secretaries could still be ongoing.

Many of the cost-saving measures district officials are considering would require bargaining with the unions.

Stevens said he hopes to address the budget deficit with the unions before reaching agreement on a new contract.

"I don't see the two situations as connected," Stevens said. "I see them as separate negotiations."

Teachers union President Kolleen Hanetho said union leaders are willing to start negotiations before February in hopes of reaching agreement on budget reduction issues by mid-March.

"We are going to do everything within our power to continue to work with the district, realizing the economics that are going on right now but also realizing we are not willing to sacrifice the education of our students," Hanetho said.