‘We are listening’: Wauconda District 118 officials pause proposed deficit reduction plan

A surge of public input has prompted Wauconda Unit District 118 officials to pause actions to reduce a projected $5.2 million deficit by 2026-27.

The message to the community from school board President Vincent Torossy and interim co-superintendents Todd Leden and Brian Wegley followed the Nov. 6 school board meeting attended by about 400 people.

“Your voices, your passion, and your commitment to our students, teachers, and staff were unmistakable,” they wrote. “We are listening.”

The school board was to have voted on the budget deficit reduction plan Thursday but the item will be removed from the agenda to allow for more discussion and input.

Parents and others say the situation remains concerning and there is no transparency or accountability about how the deficit happened.

According to the proposed three-year deficit reduction plan, district officials in July discovered a “significant” shortfall while finalizing the 2024-25 budget. That led to an inflated projected deficit of $4.2 million for 2025-26 and $5.2 million for 2026-27.

Lower than anticipated revenue from the state and other sources were among the causes, officials said.

Lakemoor resident Emmylou Grimm, a parent with two kids in District 118 schools and two who will be attending, spoke at the Nov. 6 meeting.

Before the announced pause, she set up a change.org petition calling for an “independent financial and operational review,” of the district.

“We had almost 1,000 signatures in 24 hours,” she said. The tally as of Tuesday evening was 1,204.

A gathering is planned from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Wauconda High School exit to show support for staff.

Because nearly 75% of the district’s budget is tied to salaries and benefits, balancing the budget can’t be done without affecting staffing, school officials say.

“This has been a difficult process and many in our community are understandably upset and worried about what these changes could mean for students,” officials said.

School officials said they will continue listening and refining the plan based on input and ideas for improvement. Also, an independent team will review how budgeting, reporting and spending is done.

A reduction plan update will be presented Dec. 4 and final approval is expected Jan. 5.