St. Charles D303 candidates talk budget concerns

St. Charles school board candidates all say they will be a friend to local taxpayers. Their views vary, however, on cutting the district's budget and when or if that's even necessary.

Denton Morris said no fat stands out in his initial review of the budget. He applauded recent school board decisions to save money on insurance plans. And he supports the purchase of an artificial turf athletic field for St. Charles North High School as an example of an upfront cost that will save money in the long term.

"You can make near-term or short-term cuts to save money that will cost you money in the long run," Morris said. "That's something we don't want to get into. You're going to damage the quality of the schools. And that's going to damage the community."

Carolyn Waibel said there's at least a little fat in most every organization. She said she'd welcome feedback from the community about areas they'd prefer to see cut back if the district had to prioritize costs. Volunteers and donations also help keep costs low, she said.

"I think in anything, there's opportunity to squeeze blood out of a turnip," Waibel said.

Eric Missil said the first place he'd look to trim is in administration and by finding ways for the district's various buildings to share resources.

"First, I would come up with a master plan," Missil said. "We need to come to a consensus in terms of what our enrollment is going to be. Once we reach that, we can decide upon facilities. That's when we can decide on a long-term solution but also start looking at the administration first."

Jim Gaffney is one of two incumbents, along with Ed McNally, seeking another term. McNally was unavailable for a recent editorial board interview. Gaffney said the district has already come a long way in making the administration lean by trimming the front office by 44 people.

Gaffney also pointed to an average tax bill reduction of nearly $600 that will result from the retirement of a major portion of the district's debt. There will be additional annual savings associated with closing Haines Middle School.

"We've always figured out a way to do it," Gaffney said. "A big portion of our costs is salaries. If we want the education system in St. Charles that we have, then we have to pay our teachers and our support staff. Overall, we have saved millions. We are working for the taxpayer."

Heidi Fairgrieve said the district must monitor budget decisions from state lawmakers that will affect the district, but officials shouldn't wait to plan for funding losses. The district should put in place budget scenarios to account for all of the significant potential financial losses, such as a state-imposed property tax freeze.

"From there, we should take a look at how we prioritize within each of those scenarios while still supporting our education strategies for a three- to five-year term," Fairgrieve said.

Lara Kristofer agreed with keeping a close eye on the state. But at the same time, the district shouldn't take a sky-is-falling mentality into the budget discussions.

"In September 2015 we started focusing on the loss of (state) funding and the need to close schools," she said. "In that time period since then, we haven't seen any of these major cuts come through. We are operating on a balanced budget currently. Maintain that. But I wouldn't want to react too soon and start making cuts until we are sure that it's something we need to do."

Seven candidates seek four seats on the board. There will be at least two new board members after the April election.

Kane County tax rates

Lowest to highest school district tax rates payable in 2016, per $100 of equalized assessed valuation:

1. Barrington Unit District 220: 5.25

2. Huntley Unit District 158: 5.95

3. St. Charles Unit District 303: 6.11

4. Batavia Unit District 101: 6.40

5. Geneva Unit District 304: 6.47

6. Dundee Unit District 300: 6.54

7. West Aurora Unit District 129: 6.58

8. East Aurora Unit District 131: 6.72

9. Sycamore Unit District 427: 6.74

10. Hinckley Unit District 429: 6.88

11. Elgin Unit District 46: 7.12

12. Oswego Unit District 308: 7.36

13. Kaneland Unit District 302: 7.45

14. Burlington Central Unit District 301: 7.66

15. Yorkville Unit District 115: 7.83

SOURCE: Kane County clerk