Wednesday, May 15, 2013
But School Board wants Springfield to get a reality check.
While Elmhurst residents are getting ready to pay the first portion of their DuPage County tax bills, Elmhurst Unit District 205 School Board officials now know how much money they will receive from the county once the checks have been written. School District staff told the board Tuesday night that the levy extension for 2012, which will fund operations for the 2013-14 school year, will be $99 million, up 4 percent over last year. As expected, the removal of Elmhurst Memorial Hospital from the tax rolls impacted the total equalized assessed valuation of commercial property within District 205. Commercial EAV dropped 25 percent compared to last year, a change board member John McDonough called “stunning.” The total EAV for the district …
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
But the School Board has a giant task in front of it: finding out from the community how it wants to restructure the district for long-term sustainability.
Elmhurst Unit District 205 is facing a budget deficit of $1.7 million for next fiscal year. But after much discussion Tuesday, School Board members decided not to lay off any teachers to bridge the gap. It will be the first time in several years teachers have not been let go. That does not mean, however, that the district's budget problems are improving or that reductions in force won't be needed the following year, board member said. Basically, they are buying time—12 to 18 months—so they can go out into the community and talk to stakeholders about how they should structurally change the district for long-term sustainability. These will be significant changes, board members said, not stopgap measures year to year. What is causing the …
Friday, January 25, 2013
"There is no low-hanging fruit," board member Hirsch said. "There are no clear, simple options. We have cut across the board. Cut after cut after cut."
UPDATE: FEB. 12, 3:45 p.m. The online petition now has 723 signatures. UPDATE: JAN. 28, 9:25 p.m. As of Monday night, the online petition, "Stop District 205 Time Changes," had 466 signatures. Friday, Jan. 25: An online petition titled, "Stop District 205 Time Changes," has been posted online by parents opposed to the district moving to a three-tier bus schedule. The petition reads: "We, the undersigned, call to District 205 of Elmhurst, Illinois, to reconsider the proposal of shifting the school hours of our Elementary Schools. We are in direct conflict with this proposal and do not want the elementary hours changed from our current 8:15 AM to 3 PM." The petition had 61 signatures as of Friday morning. Some parents in Elmhurst District …
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
A new Elmhurst Memorial Hospital wildcard means an unbalanced budget for the current fiscal year and possibly more cuts, officials say.
Elmhurst Unit District 205 ended the fiscal year June 30 on a positive note budget-wise, School Board members learned Tuesday. A little more money than expected came in, and a little less than expected went out, Assistant Superintendent for Finance Chris Whelton told the board. One of the main reasons the budget came out ahead is that the district had only expected to receive three quarterly payments from the state of Illinois, but it actually received four. This is good news, even though the state remains two payments (about $2 million) behind. District 205 also received five quarterly payments instead of four in the special education personnel category. Property taxes, which make up more than 80 percent of all district revenues, were "…
Jim Court
8:11 pm on Thursday, May 16, 2013
This is why Allen Brinkmeier would have been an intelligent choice. A great man who would of added much to our school board. more ›