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Schools

Distict 219 Seeks Even Leaner Budget

Board asks for more cuts in seeking a proposal more aligned to actual needs.

The school board members asked administrators to go back and further trim the preliminary budget that was first presented to them in late May.

The draft called for $147.3 million in spending, which would raise the district’s operating expense per pupil to more than $26,000--a 7.63 percent increase. Revenue was projected to rise 4.33 percent to $152.8 million, with 95 percent coming from local sources, chiefly property taxes.

At the meeting last week, administrators were told to make cuts in discretionary spending and other areas. By requiring the extra review, the school board will not be able to post the tentative budget for public viewing this week and its action will likely delay a final vote to approve the budget until September.

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Superintendent Nanciann Gatta has generally tried to have the board approve the budget in August, when the new school year begins for students at Niles North, Niles West and Niles Central high schools. However, the board is under no legal requirement to do so within that time frame.

Basically, the board asked that contingency funds–money included in the budget to handle unexpected situations--be trimmed to what the district realistically expects to spend. The estimate would be based on spending patterns from previous years, said Jim Szczepaniak, the district’s director of communication.

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While salaries and benefits for most staff, which represent the largest expenditure, have been fixed by collective bargaining agreements, the district does have leeway in other areas, Szczepaniak said.

For example, one area is purchased services. The board asked administrators to remove any planned spending increases in that category.

District 219 has also undertaken a curriculum restructuring as .

At the May 31 school board meeting, Gatta told its members she expected to change the line item for administrators' salaries. The preliminary budget assumed a 1.52 percent salary increase for administrators, but Gatta said she planned to eliminate those raises.

School board members have focused on , as the district--with more than 4,500 students--had second highest level among Illinois high school districts in 2009, the last year for which complete statewide numbers are available.

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