More, but less severe, cuts likely in U-46

Things are starting to look up for Elgin Area School District U-46.

The district received about $4.6 million from a federal education jobs bill this year, the state in December made good on $12 million in delayed payments to U-46, and money from a state funding fix has started to flow into the district’s coffers.

All that good news, though, is tempered by the fact that U-46 is still facing a deficit pegged at $40 million at the beginning of this school year. In addition, the state is still $16 million behind in payments to the district, and U-46 officials can only guess how much state funding they’ll get next year.

Against that backdrop of good news, bad news and uncertainty, U-46 officials are starting to develop their budget for the 2011-12 school year.

In light of the continuing deficit and the district’s pledge to balance the budget by the 2014-15 school year, additional cuts are almost certain.

“No target for reductions has been set,” U-46 spokesman Tony Sanders said in an e-mail. “However, we continue to work on a spending plan that aligns to Destination 2015,” the plan that contains the balanced budget goal.

In a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day video message to staff, Superintendent Jose Torres said that any reductions would probably not be as severe as the $30 million in cuts implemented in March. Those reductions led to hundreds of dismissals and larger class sizes across the district.

“We’re very hopeful that we will not have … huge reductions in force, major cuts in programs,” Torres said. “We’re very hopeful we will not have the kind of cuts we had last year.”

In his video message, Torres asked staff to send him their ideas for what programs and areas cannot be spared — even in the downturn.

“What are the critical areas … that are life or death?” he asked.

The school board will get its initial look at a proposed list of reductions in February, officials said. The board has until the end of March to notify most employees who may lose their jobs as part of cutbacks.

Much will depend on the outcome of negotiations with all six U-46 employee groups, which will begin in earnest in the spring. Given that personnel expenses consume the largest portion of U-46’s budget, the district will likely pursue some reductions through bargaining.

But board President Ken Kaczynski said it’s still too early to comment on the board’s budget priorities, although he said the 2010 state funding fix would help avoid the need for deeper cuts.

“We’re still operating at a deficit,” Kaczynski said. “Certainly, it’ll help mitigate anything that has to happen.”