Balancing Kaneland budget might mean more cuts

If the Kaneland school board wants to continue the practice of adopting balanced budgets, the district will likely have to cut at least $900,000 more in expenditures, according to a report to be made at Monday’s school board meeting.

The school board meets at 7 p.m. in the Milnamow Administration Center on the west side of Kaneland High School, Meredith and Keslinger roads, Maple Park.

The board is being asked by the superintendent for guidance on how to proceed while developing the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The board has until the end of September to adopt a budget.

Superintendent Jeff Schuler recommends the balanced budget option, calling it the most “fiscally prudent path” due to fluctuations in revenue and uncertainty about state funding. But he also noted in the memo the board has two other options: The least conservative would be to retain all existing services and programs. The most conservative would be to cut more than $900,000, especially since the district doesn’t yet know the cost of new contracts for custodial services and special education transportation, will not know final health insurance costs until June, and has a teachers’ contract that expires this year.

Schuler also noted that, given the district has been trimming its budget for several years, further cuts are “unlikely to contain costs without cutting personnel. That would raise class sizes or eliminate programs.”