District 203 Swears-In Re-elected Members, Discusses Budget

The first matter of business at the Board of Education meeting Monday night was to review the results of the April 5 election and swear in the board members.

The members, Mike Jaensch, Terry Fielden and Suzyn Price, were sworn in for another four years.

Adding a little levity, Jaensch commented that the re-elected officials were “old,” to which Price responded, “experienced.” Price is serving her third term on the board.

Once sworn into office the board then chose current president Jaensch and vice president Jackie Romberg to retain their positions on the board.

The board then switched gears and began discussing business.

Dave Zager, the district chief financial officer, presented the proposed budget for the 2011-12 school year to the board for the first time.

In order for the board to approve the budget before the new fiscal year begins, the budget needed to be presented at the May 2 meeting, Zager explained. By law, the budget must be available for review for 30 days.

Members of the community have the opportunity to review the budget prior to the board voting on it at its June 20 meeting. Final action on the budget must be taken by Sept. 30.

Zager provided an overview of the document, which was 82 pages.

The district’s operating budget for 2011-12 will be $224 million and it will be balanced. Construction costs are $13.2 million and the district’s debt service is $3.6 million.

Employee salaries and benefits account for 79 percent of the 2011-12 operating budget.

Unlike some districts that rely heavily on state funding, Zager said property taxes account for about 83 percent of District 203’s budget. State funding provides 9 percent, federal funding 3 percent and an additional 5 percent comes from other funding that was not specified.

In 2011-12 federal stimulus funding will run out, Zager said. That funding accounted for $2.3 million in 2009-10. Although some positions were funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) those funds will no longer be available.

The positions will continue to be filled, and the $335,000 for salaries and $130,000 for services will be wrapped into the regular operating budget.

The district is losing a little more than five full-time employees, which will offset some costs. But the district is also planning to purchase new software.

The average taxpayer will pay 1.1 percent more this year than they did last year, Zager said.

In the event the state does not come through with funding the district, which the district is expecting, it has enough cash flow to manage, Zager said. The state has yet to pass a budget.

Illinois owes the district $10.4 million for this year, but Zager said he does not expect the state will provide the funding until next year.

The budget will be on the board agenda for another three meetings before the members must vote, Zager said.