Skyrocketing Enrollment Prompts District 34 to Evaluate 'Perfect Storm' of Issues

The public portion of a  meeting lasted three hours Monday, Feb. 28 as the school board considered lengthy reports from three priority committees.

The board heard from the Citizen's Finance Advisory Committee, the , and administrators charged with submitting a staffing report.

The topics are ultimately interrelated as District 34's financial condition depends largely on projected enrollment and the boundary committee presented a possible solution to handle the district's overpopulation -- which includes increasing class size. Subsequently, class size will directly impact staffing levels.

"I think the really important context here is that we have what we're calling our own kind of perfect storm," explained Beth Primer, school board president. "In that, we had 400 students more than projections over the last two years; we have a budget crunch like everyone else is experiencing ... and so we had our community go to work."

Boundary Committee Recommendation

After months of meetings and hearings, the 13-member boundary committee--comprised of school administrators, parents and teachers-- presented an option to the board that will increase class size by two students per classroom.

The board will decide whether to approve the recommendation at its March 7 meeting.

In the report presented to the board, consultant Rob Schwarz explained Option 1A , which includes:

• No boundary changes

The committee members primarily agreed neighborhoods shouldn't be split up, a concern during a recent community meeting.

"People felt that we were cutting through neighborhoods," Boundary Committee Co-chair and District Communications Director Brett Clark said during the presentation.

Board members still had questions about the security of more mobile classrooms and weather conditions during winter months. Officials are also concerned about the permanency of such a solution.

Regarding the mobile classrooms, board member Sue Ellen Bohac Galligan commented, "There's the issue of for how long?" and "Are we turning a short-term solution into a long-term platform?"

Board President Primer noted "in a community where the enrollment is growing, we're going to be faced with solutions all the time. That could mean boundaries have to shift every three years.

"I'm nervous about setting up a community mindset that sifting boundaries is tremendously serious and unusual for a school district to undertake," she added. "It is not and frankly, children are so resilient they will have to handle that boundary shift just as their parents have to."

Budget

Shrinking state and federal funds and increasing costs continue to create budget gaps for the district, which requires a 30 percent fund balance to pay its bills without resorting to short-term borrowing.

The 2010-11 operating budget saw $65.3 million in revenues and $67.2 million in expenses.

In its current state, the budget could face a $7 million spending deficit by 2015 if cost-saving actions are not taken, according to the Citizen's Finance Advisory Committee report.

The committee found that even with an increase in class sizes of plus 2 -- in line with the boundary committee recommendation -- the budget can't be balanced without "significant" additional reduction efforts each year.

The group recommended development of a three-year plan with three prioritized tiers of budget reductions to balance the budget with minimal impact on the district's Strategic Plan. This may involve exploring opportunities for cuts within salaries and benefits, supplies and other categories.

Staffing

According to a memo from the staffing committee, "certified staffing for the 2011-12 school year will likely be impacted by the challenges the district is currently facing."

The report presented various scenarios that rely on a number of outcomes, depending on how the board acts on the boundary committee's recommendation.

The board will consider contract renewals at its March 7 meeting.

Stay tuned to Patch for updates.