Schools
Issue 10 Could Make or Break Woodridge Schools Budget
If it passes, the 6.83-mill emergency levy will run for five years and raise $15 million. If it fails, the district could begin to experience some painful budget cuts.
Like most things these days, it’s a matter of dollars and cents.
If the proposed 6.83 mill emergency levy passes on March 6, it would run for five years, raise $15 million in revenue and cost homeowners $209 per year for every $100,000 in valuation, said treasurer Deanna Levenger.
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The eight-figure boost in revenue would also help to close a $10.6 million budget gap that is expected to split open by 2016, according to the district’s five-year forecast.
Since the last levy – – failed by only 224 votes, Levenger said she’s optimistic about the district’s chances on Issue 10 in the weeks ahead.
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However, Thursday night’s special meeting at the Woodridge administrative offices dealt more with determining a course of action in the event of another levy failure.
To start the discussion, Superintendent Walter Davis passed out the results of a 24-question community survey that asked what residents could and couldn’t live without in the district.
By going off the responses of nearly 300 anonymous participants, the Board began to form a contingency cut and cost aversion plan.
Some of their proposals included: cuts to high school transportation, widespread layoffs, across the board cuts to all personnel, pay to participate, cutting academic and extracurricular services, tuition-based Kindergarten and the consolidation of various services.
“If we lose at the ballot box on March 6, there should be nothing left off the table,” said Davis.
Contingency plans aside, Davis said he and administrators from neighboring school districts are in talks to create a central school bus terminal in order to defray some operations costs.
Expenditures would be split among four districts, but since negotiations are ongoing, Davis wasn't able to divulge the names of the other school entities involved.
School officials will discuss budget matters further at the next regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 6:00 p.m. at Woodridge High School.
How do you think you’ll vote on March 6? Yes or No on Issue 10?