District 200 unveils balanced budget

After doing some serious belt-tightening, Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 officials this week unveiled a proposed balanced budget for the 2010-2011 school year.

The focus now will be to keep spending in line with revenue despite millions of dollars in late state payments and public pressure to restore some programs that were cut.

"This is going to be a difficult year," board member John Bomher said. "We don't know what further changes may be coming down the road ... and what adjustments we may have to make."

A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for Aug. 25 and a board vote on the spending plan is set for Sept. 8.

During the process, Bomher said he hopes residents come to realize the significance of the cuts that had to be made to balance the budget.

"District 200 reduced its expenditures from one year to the next," he said. "There are not too many organizations in the private or the public sector that you will see that being done."

District 200's proposed operating budget has expenses of nearly $145.3 million, a decrease of $13.9 million compared to last year's spending plan. That spending total is about $212,000 less than the district's revenues, which plummeted by about $6 million.

The budget's largest fund is the education fund, which covers teacher and administrative salaries and instructional materials and equipment.

Spending in the education fund is decreasing by 4 percent to nearly $122.4 million. Most of that money is set aside for salaries and benefits.

Something missing from the proposed budget is $150,000 for "B" sports teams at the four middle schools. Officials are planning to hand off responsibility for the popular program to the Warrenville and Wheaton park districts.

Some argue that would be a disservice to the more than 250 seventh- and eighth-graders who play on the "B" teams for boys and girls basketball and girls volleyball.

Rob Kroehnke, a teacher and coach at Edison Middle School, said many students get their first opportunity to play organized sports by being on a "B" team. "If they do not have that opportunity to play on a team, they will probably stop trying to pursue that sport," he said.

Superintendent Brian Harris concedes the program won't be the same under park district control. Still, he said, "I feel very comfortable that we are going to provide comparable activities."

While officials are looking for ways to save money, some of the district's budgetary problems are beyond their control. For example, the state continues to owe the district about $7 million in categorical funding for programs such as special education.

And there's no indication the money will be paid.

"The bottom line is the state does not have the money," Harris said. "They don't have it. That's the problem."

According to the proposed budget, 81 percent of District 200's operating revenue comes from local property taxes. The rest comes from the state and federal governments.

The budget is available for public viewing at the district office and at the public libraries in Wheaton, Warrenville, Winfield and Carol Stream. It also can be viewed online at cusd200.org.