District 205 School Board Will Walk the Tricky Path of Budget Predictions Tuesday

When the Elmhurst Unit District 205 School Board meets Tuesday at the , 162 S. York St., much of the discussion will involve money, including where the district has been budget-wise and where it's headed. Each year, predicting the next fiscal year's budget is somewhat of a guessing game, considering board members don't always know what mandates are coming from Springfield——and which state aid checks are not.

But before that discussion, the board will meet in closed session at 6 p.m. to discuss employment of an employee and probable or imminent litigation.

The open session will begin at 7:30 p.m. with public comments. Members of the community are invited to speak on any topic for up to three minutes.

The superintendent's communication will begin with a brief summary of Freedom of Information Act requests. The budget presentation will then follow with a recap of budget year 2011-12 and a tentative look at revenues and expenditures for 2012-13.

The board then will hear a presentation on district performance indicators in the areas of curriculum and instruction, finance and operations, human resources, technology, communications and financial planning. The study of key performance indicators by District 205 administration and board members has been ongoing for many months and is critical in setting targets for achievement and being able to measure improvement districtwide.

The board will then approve meeting minutes, and hear reports from its three standing committees: Finance and Operations, Board Improvement and Policy, and Curriculum and Instruction.

In addition to personnel and financial reports, the superintendent's consent agenda includes a vote to post the tentative 2012-13 budget for public viewing, and to approve the sale of surplus, district-owned equipment.

Last, the board will review its upcoming meetings and hear any additional communications from board members.