Dist. 200 celebrates accomplishments; budget crunch looms

It's been a great year.

Over the course of the school year, I have had the privilege to visit dozens of classrooms. I have consistently seen committed teachers and students engaging in meaningful learning activities.

I have seen inspiring interactions between students and teachers and student-driven partnerships, in which students work collaboratively and create opportunities for students to take an active role in their learning and personal development.

I'm proud to share a few accomplishments from the 2015-16 school year.

• We graduated 1,017 seniors from our two high schools. Roughly 95 percent of them are going on to attend a two- or four-year institution to further their education.

• Our ACT composite score is 23.4, almost three points higher than the state average.

• Through the hard work of our teachers and administration, we began implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards in our curriculum.

• Two of our elementary schools, Emerson and Longfellow, received the prestigious Blue Ribbon Award.

• We are proud that 87 graduates from our high schools received either the Seal of Biliteracy or Commendation toward Biliteracy on their diploma, a mark of distinction that recognizes students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation. District 200 is one of less than a handful of participating districts in DuPage County and one of 50 districts in the state.

• Through our new AP Inspiring Excellence Program, we identified 185 high school students who had all of the characteristics and aptitude to take an advanced placement class, but hadn't taken one for a variety of reasons. Next year, nearly all of those students will take an advanced placement course.

• We completed a yearlong Facility Master Plan, a physical and educational assessment of our buildings. A FMP is a long-term view of our facility needs both now and in the future. Throughout the next several months, our board of education will work toward reaching a consensus on the priorities of the projects to be addressed, a timeline for implementation and the means to finance their implementation.

While we enjoy sharing our accomplishments, everything we have worked so hard for in our district is at risk if the state does not pass a budget to keep services intact. While our district is in sound financial shape and we would be able to maintain services for several months without state funding, many districts throughout our state don't have that advantage.

As we enter the summer months, we typically finalize our budget for the following school year. It is difficult to plan and execute a balanced budget without a determined revenue from the state.

As of now, there is a proposed school funding bill, HB231, that has already passed the state Senate. Like most DuPage County school districts, this bill proposes a significant loss in state revenues - a loss that would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for us to account for.

We have been in contact with our local state representatives to express our concerns with HB231 and we will continue to advocate for school funding reform that is adequate and equitable, and doesn't reduce our funding from the state.

I don't like to end the year with ominous information, but it is information I needed to share with you. Please know we will keep you apprised of any significant changes at the state level.

Thank you to our entire community for your support of our students and district. The continued commitment of our board of education, teachers, families and community allows us to provide a truly exceptional learning environment for our students. I wish all families and staff a safe and relaxing summer vacation!

• Jeff Schuler is superintendent of Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200. His column appears monthly in Neighbor during the school year.