Dist. 203 proposes balanced budget

Naperville Unit District 203 is again anticipating being able to balance its budget for the upcoming school year without cutting programs.

School board members got their first look at the 2011-12 budget on Monday, which calls for a total of $241.6 million in expenditures.

“The budget is balanced and revenues do cover our expenses,” said Dave Zager, assistant superintendent for finance.

The district’s total budget for the upcoming year is $241.6 million, which includes $224.8 million in operating expenses — an increase of 2.6 percent over the current school year’s budget.

The remaining $16.8 million is split between $3.2 million for construction costs and $3.6 million for debt service.

Employee salaries account for 79 percent of the operating budget and are .75 percent higher than last year’s budget while benefits are 8 percent higher.

The number of certified staff members has been reduced by the equivalent of about five full-time employees, due to changes in enrollment.

Roughly 83 percent of the district’s revenue is from property taxes. The average taxpayer in District 203 is paying 1.1 percent more than last year. Another 9 percent of the district’s revenue is from the state.

Zager said the most budget impact will be felt by the loss of federal stimulus, which was about $2.3 million last year. Of that, $335,000 was spent on salaries and $130,000 on services that have been absorbed into this proposed budget. Other federal funds were expended on capital purchases and nonrecurring expenditures.

The district will also incur a one-time cost of about $500,000 to purchase a new Employee Time Management System and Special Education Individual Education Plan System software.

The school board will take a preliminary vote on the budget at its May 16 meeting, then put it on display for a month. There will be a public hearing and final board vote on June 20.