Glen Ellyn Dist. 89 faces cuts, may seek tax hike

Glen Ellyn Elementary District 89 is about to tighten its belt a little because of the slumping economy, a move that could affect employee salaries and lead to a tax increase.

District officials announced in its newsletter Tuesday that a projected deficit will result in $900,000 in budget cuts, which could ultimately affect salaries and could even lead to its first tax-rate increase on residents in more than 20 years.

Superintendent John Perdue said the situation is one of the toughest he's faced in his 35 total years as a superintendent at two school districts.

"We're looking at all areas to minimize the impact on the classroom," he said. "But the reductions we have to make are bound to impact the students in some way, shape or form."

The district's $24.6 million budget faces a deficit of $583,000.

Because of this, district officials have started looking into the removal of three staff members who serve as on-call academic support for teachers. Perdue said this, along with increased class sizes, are bound to affect the learning environment.

"We have tried to be efficient in virtually every aspect that you can possibly be," Perdue said. "We think we're one that has done it right. But there's not a lot of cushion to land upon."

In the newsletter, Perdue mentioned several areas the district would reduce, including travel, overtime and support service expenses.

Also, employee wages would be brought into the mix. However, the teachers union is in the second year of a five-year deal and Perdue said it was "too early to tell" exactly what could be done in that area.

"At the end of the day, education is not an enterprise that goes out of business," he said. "So that is not an option. Our expectations remain to keep up the education of our community."