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U-46 school board candidates weigh in on taxes

Several candidates running for the Elgin Area School District U-46 school board say the district should watch its spending and hold the line on taxes to relieve overburdened taxpayers.

Eight candidates are vying for four 4-year terms on the board April 7: Lawrence Bury, Phil Costello, Susan Kerr and Ed Novak, all of Bartlett; Jeanette Ward of West Chicago; Arisleyda Taylor of Streamwood; and incumbents Traci Ellis and Jennifer Shroder, both of Elgin.

Kai Rush and Cody Holt, both of Elgin, are vying for a 2-year unexpired term.

Taylor, 29, said with U-46's significant low-income student population, holding the line on a tax increase would be a welcome break for taxpayers.

“We have many families in our district struggling to keep their homes,” she said.

Costello said the district has millions of dollars in outstanding debt, and its most recent refinancing of bonds defers the payment schedule to 2035.

“I am concerned about that from the standpoint that it will have a heavy burden on future budgets that we don't have to worry about right now,” said Costello, 59, who has served on the board of ChildServ and Homes for Children Foundation P.A.D.S. “That's where I felt that we're just kicking the can down the road.”

Novak, 59, who works in retail management, said the demographics of U-46 are shifting with student enrollment projected to decline in coming years.

“How can taxes be going up?” he said. “Maybe some of the buildings need to be closed.”

The district also should look into whether it's tapping enough state funding, he added.

Kerr, 58, who has been a member of the U-46 Citizens Advisory Council for about 20 years, said a major problem is the uncertainty of state funding. She said the district could be shorted roughly $30 million by the end of this fiscal year, according to district officials. But she agrees, increasing taxes is not the way to go.

“I do not believe that the district can rely on future tax increases,” she said. “Many taxpayers are under a huge property tax burden.”

Holt, 23, who previously ran unsuccessfully for the Elgin City Council, said he has been opposed to the district's tax levy increases in the past two budgets.

“We can be efficient and can reduce wasteful spending,” he said.

Rush, 37, a teacher at St. Charles East High School, said Bartlett residents are paying a higher rate than anybody else and the district needs to do a better job of evening the burden.

Ward, 41, a parent volunteer, said she would not support increasing taxes, citing changing demographics.

“The population of U-46 is remaining flat and in many areas decreasing and cannot support a continuously increasing budget,” she said, adding that people are “sick of” increased taxes and debt.

Bury, 49, who has served on the U-46 Citizens Advisory Council, said if projected cuts to existing state funding come to fruition, the school board will have to consider all options — even raising taxes.

“We have to balance the budget,” he said. “This district is not sitting on sufficient reserves.”

U-46 has more than $50 million in surplus operating funds, according to district officials.

Yet, with a $487 million overall budget, the district should have three months' operating cash — $130 million — on hand, Bury said.

Ellis, 52, who is completing her first term on the board, said that roughly $50 million surplus was money that came in late from the state or unexpected receipts.

“It's not a surplus in the true nature,” she said.

Ellis said the state school funding formula itself is burdensome on taxpayers.

“We are trying to run a district that is providing what kids need and at the same time be fiscally responsible,” she said, adding that she is committed to that goal.

Shroder, who also is finishing her first term, said the district has yet to recover from considerable cuts made over the last seven years, but she added there are still ways it can save money.

“I have been researching ways to manage projects that improve our environmental footprint and lessen the cost of maintaining school buildings beyond just turning down the thermostat in the winter and turning off the lights at night,” she said.

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