Dist. 204 board presents new phase of budget austerity plan
Indian Prairie school officials made their first step toward cutting an additional $12.2 million from next year's budget Monday by approving the release of 145 nontenured teachers.
The cuts will save the district about $7.4 million or an average $51,000 per teacher.
"District 204 has been extremely fiscally responsible by balancing the budget and maintaining 25 percent or more in our reserves. None of us want to be here tonight talking about teacher releases and financial reductions in programs and services," said Superintendent Kathryn Birkett. "It pains me to think of this, however, the hand we've been dealt at this time gives us no choice. We are creating a budget based on what has been shared by the state."
The remaining $4.8 million is expected to come from six different categories in what the district is calling its Phase III austerity plan that the board will likely approve in mid-April.
In that plan, major expenditures would be delayed in the areas of operations and maintenance to save an additional $1 million. And an additional $500,000 would be cut to slow the district's technology replacement program.
"Roof replacements are going to be postponed for a year, and this is something we can do in a short-term not in a long-term. But it certainly makes sense to delay that work at this time," said Assistant Superintendent for Finance Dave Holm. "In terms of technology, we're looking at adding an additional year or two to our computer replacement program."
The district is also expecting to be more operationally efficient than ever by reducing the central office budgets by a total of 10 percent, renegotiating software licenses, not watering the lawns, eliminating towel service in P.E. classes, moving to a four-day workweek for the summer and cutting conference travel by 20 percent.
"We're all going to have to do everything we can to get our work done with even less than we anticipated," Holm said. "So we've all got to do our part to take advantage of every efficiency we find."
Staffing efficiencies, outside of the teachers being released, would include an administrative salary freeze, the elimination of overtime for hourly employees, a reduction in daily pay for substitute teachers from $90 to $85, an undetermined number of classified staff reductions and the district's promise to continue their hard line "austere approach" to ongoing negotiations with both the teachers union and classified staff union.
"How negotiations outcome finally plays out will have an impact on how far we go with some of these reductions," Holm said. "So that's still an ongoing process and will be for some time to go."
The district has also sought out areas where $533,000 can be saved by postponing the introduction of German and Chinese language classes at the middle schools. Spanish and French classes will remain. The online course budget will also be slashed.
"All of our programs are still there," Holm stressed. "They might be changed or reduced in some ways but we have not eliminated any programs."
The plan also includes areas where the district plans to increase revenues through increased student registration, athletics and technology fees. A $1 per ride fee will also be added to subsidize the $60,000 annual cost of operating the after school activity bus.
"For the last couple of months, we've heard, actually quite often, comments basically saying 'Before you eliminate a program, I'd rather write you a check,'" Holm said. "Some of this is trying to save programs while increasing fees. At the same time we're very cognizant of the fact that our parents live in the same environment that we're struggling with."
Birkett said measures will be put in place to ensure no student is denied the ability to participate in program because of any financial hardships.
Going forward, the entire proposal is available on the district's Web site and residents are being asked to provide feedback on the plan at www.surveymonkey.com/s/QSGT52Q. A special community budget meeting has also been scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. April 5 to provide this update to the public and accept additional public comment.