Budget woes addressed at Woodland District 50 forum tonight

Woodland Elementary District 50 in Gurnee is seeking public input on a tentative plan that would include job cuts and classroom realignment in an effort to plug a projected $2.1 million budget hole for the 2011-12 school year.

District 50 board members will host a community forum that'll include financial issues from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Woodland Intermediate School, 1115 N. Hunt Club Road in Gurnee. The evening will include a presentation by board members and a general question-and-answer session.

About the same time last year, a Woodland community forum included talk on budget reductions and fee hikes that a financial advisory task force recommended to help cover a minimum $3.5 million budget gap for 2010-11.

Following are some of the proposals on the table for the 2011-12 academic season:

Ÿ Saving an estimated $809,838 annually by adjusting core classroom sections to meet established size ranges.

Ÿ Cutting five full-time fine arts teaching positions to conserve an estimated $224,955 yearly.

Ÿ Eliminating 36 wireless telephones assigned to administrators districtwide for an annual $22,777 in savings.

Ÿ Dropping intramural athletics at the Woodland elementary and intermediate buildings to save $50,000 each year.

After tonight's session, Woodland board members will discuss the proposals for the 2011-12 school year budget at public meetings on Jan. 27 and Feb. 3. Board members are to take action in a final vote Feb. 24.