District 200 approves balanced budget

Getting Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200's budget balanced for the 2010-2011 school year was just the beginning.

Superintendent Brian Harris said the challenge moving forward is keeping the district's spending plan balanced amid difficult financial times and delayed state aid payments.

The school board on Wednesday approved an operating budget that has expenses of nearly $145.3 million, a decrease of about $6.2 million compared to last year's spending plan. The total expenses are about $300 less than the district's revenues, which fell about $6 million.

The largest piece of the budget is the education fund, which covers teacher and administrative salaries as well as instructional materials and equipment.

Spending in the education fund is down by roughly 4 percent to about $122.2 million. Most of that is set aside for salaries and benefits.

While the budget is balanced, officials remain concerned about the state revenue the district is expected to receive.

Illinois continues to owe District 200 about $3 million in categorical funding for programs such as special education.

Harris said it's a situation educators are watching closely. They also are looking nervously ahead to the 2011-2012 school year.

Some are predicting the Consumer Price Index, a figure that determines how much property tax revenue the district can collect, could be less than its 25-year average of 2.5 percent. Tax cap laws prevent schools from increasing their property tax levies by more than 5 percent or the rate of inflation as measured by the CPI, whichever is less.

If the drop in CPI is significant, Harris said District 200 would need another round of budget reductions.

In the meantime, officials plan to look for ways to either save money or raise revenue. Examples Harris mentioned included reviewing class sizes or considering fee increases.

"These are very difficult decisions and I know the board has really struggled with it in the past," Harris said. "But it's the reality of what's going on."

According to the budget, 81 percent of District 200's operating revenue comes from local property taxes. The rest comes from the state and federal governments.