Elmhurst District 205 School Board to Approve Budget Cuts Tonight

Elmhurst Unit District 205 School Board will meet at 7:30 p.m. tonight (Tuesday) at the administration building, 162 S. York St.

After a closed session at 6 p.m. to discuss employment of an employee, collective negotiations and actual/potential litigation, the board will take action on several items in open session, not the least of which is budget reductions and revenue enhancements.

But first, the board will accept public comment for up to three minutes on any topic.

The approval of budget reductions and revenue enhancements is part of the superintendent’s consent agenda. A summary of the final recommendations up for approval, including staff cuts, can be found here.

Also part of the consent agenda is the approval of new staff positions for fiscal year 2012. New positions in the areas of reading support (4.0  full-time equivalent); related services, including social work (.2 FTE) and psychologist (1.0 FTE); REACH (3.5 FTE); and special education (.2 FTE) were ranked as being the most critical and are slated for approval.

And, the third item on the consent agenda is approval of an extension to the Grand Avenue tax increment finance district for Bensenville. The area, which borders Grand Avenue and County Line Road, includes Country Inn and Suites and the former Legends Golf Course.

A large-scale development is being proposed, but $13.5 million in structural foundation work must first be done, and Bensenville has committed 90 percent of the TIF for these costs. Bensenville has agreed to distribute surplus from the Country Inn and Suites properties to District 205 starting with the original end of the TIF in 2022.  Since the remainder of the property holds no value for District 205 (equalized assessed valuation is $27,000), officials believe the redevelopment and its future economic benefits would justify the TIF extension.

There are no other business or action items on the agenda.