District 220 prepares for second year of budget cuts

The lingering unstable economy, especially as it relates to the state of Illinois' cashflow problems, is causing Barrington Unit District 220 officials to look for $1.25 million in budget cuts for the year ahead.

Though the possibility of further staffing cuts exist - following last year's layoff of the equivalent of 14 full-time employees - such specifics were not reached in Tuesday's initial budget workshop.

The consumer price index, which affects almost all district revenues, is at an improved 2.7 percent this year after last year's shockingly low 0.1 percent. But there remain many other unknowns about the district's finances that are causing officials to prepare for cuts.

Board President Brian Battle cautioned Tuesday's audience, which included some staff members, not to interpret any of the broad range of options identified by administrators as a definite course of action.

But the major questions for next year's budget remain the number of students that will enroll in the district and how timely the state's payments to the district will be.

"The big factor is what can we depend on from the state of Illinois?" Superintendent Tom Leonard asked.

District 220 Chief Financial Officer Gary Frisch said the state was supposed to pay the district $5.5 million by this part of the school year, but has paid only $3.3 million.

While state officials have said the remaining $2.2 million will come, they were not able to guarantee it would be before the end of the current fiscal year on June 30, Frisch said.

About $5 million of the district's approximately $116 million annual budget goes toward busing, a necessary expense that relies heavily on state contributions, he added.

Leonard told the board he will be recommending some cost-saving measures which won't negatively affect services, but that these won't meet the full extent of the cuts being aimed for.

Last year, the district successfully cut $745,000 in costs by streamlining custodial services, renegotiating utility costs, reducing part-time seasonal support and transferring heating and air-conditioning maintenance to its own staff.

But even after that, $665,700 in personnel costs still had to be cut, divided nearly evenly among teachers, administrators and support staff.

Officials are hoping to have the major issues of the budget worked out by mid-February, allowing them time to inform staff who may be affected by cuts by mid-March.