District 210 provides answers concerning finances, consolidation
1/31/2010
In the course of some recent conversations within the Lemont community, some residents have inquired about the financial status of Lemont High School District 210, and the potential benefits of consolidation between Lemont-Bromberek School District 113A and District 210. It is important for Lemont residents to be well educated concerning each of these topics. Below, please find some commonly asked questions, and District 210's answers to those questions.
Q: Will District 210 seek a referendum soon?
A: Like all area school districts, District 210’s finances have been significantly impacted by the tax cap, the current economic impact on home values, and the reality that the State of Illinois has not met its financial obligations. However, District 210 has built up reserve funds over the last two decades in preparation for this type of situation. The reality of the tax cap and the economic conditions - along with the increases in costs in areas such as textbooks, transportation, insurance and personnel - is that District 210 will begin to use those reserve funds over the next decade.
However, District 210 has no plans for a referendum.
Q: What steps has District 210 taken over the last year to respond to the difficult economic climate?
A: Last winter, after examining the district’s five-year financial projections, District 210’s faculty, staff, administration and Board of Education began developing a plan to reduce expenditures and increase revenues in order to proactively respond to this situation. In its first year, that plan has included a reduction of faculty, the elimination of Driver Education classes in the summer, reductions in professional development and field trip travel, a reduction in all department budgets, and a conservation plan for resources ranging from utilities to paper. To increase revenues, District 210 has applied for - and in many instances, received - additional grants in several areas. In the fall, the district adjusted many of its student fees to align them with those that are assessed by area high schools of similar size.
Q: Will District 210 make additional efforts to limit spending and generate revenue?
A: District 210’s financial planning is an on-going process, and at the halfway point of its fiscal year, the district is beginning to evaluate the effectiveness of the budget-cutting and revenue-increasing measures it implemented last year. Besides evaluating its current efforts, District 210 will again seek input from its staff concerning reductions in expenditures and methods to increase revenue.
Q: Can District 210 consolidate with District 113A to become a unit school district?
A: A frequent suggestion for reducing expenditures for both school districts is to consolidate the two districts into one unit district. Consolidation is not an option based on Illinois School Code. Illinois School Code requires that a grade school and high school district consolidating into a unit district be coterminous (i.e., cover the same territory). District 210 covers a wider area than does District 113A, and that area includes Argonne National Laboratory.
Q: What’s so important about Argonne?
A: Argonne National Laboratory is owned by the Federal Government. Consequently, District 210 receives federal funds annually to offset the loss of tax revenue for that property, since federal property does not generate property tax revenue. It would not be fiscally responsible for either District 210 or the DuPage County grade school districts whose boundaries include Argonne to cede that property and the federal dollars associated with it, a step that would be required by the Illinois School Code in order for District 210 and District 113A to consolidate.
Q: Despite the geographical problems, does consolidation make sense for Lemont schools?
A: Consolidation would not reduce expenditures. A study done by District 210 in 2003 regarding the costs of consolidation between District 113A and District 210 indicated that it would cost nearly $2 million to align the two districts’ teacher salaries. That total did not include additional personnel costs, such as salaries of non-certified staff or employee benefits. At a minimum, it is expected that those costs would be similar today. While some savings might be realized with a reduction in administrative costs, it would not offset the costs of the potential faculty and staff salary and wage adjustments or District 210’s loss of impact aid revenue.
Q: Would consolidation improve the curriculum articulation from the grade school level to high school?
A: A smooth transition for students from District 113A to District 210 is very important to both districts, and the districts articulate at many levels. The special education staffs meet regularly on behalf of individual students. Guidance counselors, deans and other support staff meet to discuss student needs, such as a joint drug education and prevention program. Representatives from the Board of Education, district- and building-level administration, teachers and parents from each district serve on a Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Committee that focuses on articulation activities and needs that are based on a K-12 model for education. These same activities are conducted in unit districts. There is always room for improvement, but the commitment to an articulated education from kindergarten through high school can be accomplished between District 113A and District 210 just as it can in a unit district.
For more information, contact Director of School & Community Relations
Tony Hamilton at (630) 243-3280.