Found at -- schwimmerlegal.com
In last week's online Herald-Advocate, we read the following article -- District 64 board reviews preliminary budget, written by contributor Alex Mcleese.
Contributor Mcleese writes -- "The budget, which is only a first draft, projects a 15.36-percent increase in operating fund expenditures, including a 7.06-percent increase in payments for salaries. But according to District 64 Business Manager Rebecca Allard, much of the calculated increases in capital-improvements expenditures -- representing a 7.94-percent increase -- will be covered by federal government grants.
The Federal Aviation Administration is paying for sound insulation at Roosevelt and Washington schools, and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funding is paying for the improvement of a multipurpose room at Jefferson School."
And the PRU Crew thought, that doesn't sound too bad -- half the increase in expenditures will be covered by money coming from the federales, for the worthy cause of sound insulating two of our local elementary schools and sprucing up another school room.
The article goes on to quote board member Eric Uhlig -- "I'm very pleased with the first draft," said board member Eric Uhlig. "I'm looking forward to comparing next year to this year using this year's actuals."
And the PRU Crew thought, at least one board member is quoted as being pleased with the first draft -- must be a good first draft -- we wonder what else was in that first draft.
So we looked it up on the District 64 website.
On the District 64 website we found the agenda for the May 24th Board of Education Committee of the Whole on Finance, which included a memo from Ms. Rebecca Allard, Business Manager for the school district.
On page 3 (page 5 of the .pdf file) of Ms. Allard's memo to the Board of Education and Superintendent Sally Pryor we read --
"Revenues:
Overall, operating fund revenues are expected to increase by 8.85%, which includes federal funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) summer projects at Roosevelt and Washington schools. Without the FAA federal funding, the revenue budget is expected to increase by 4.86%. Detailed explanations of the budget-to-budget changes are provided throughout this document.
Expenses:
Overall, operating fund expenditures are expected to increase by 15.36%, which includes the FAA projects at Roosevelt and Washington schools. Without these projects, the expenditure budget is expected to increase by 11.14%.
Other than the anomaly of the FAA summer projects, the largest expense category for District 64 is salaries. The salary category is expected to increase by 7.06% from $39,264,833 to $42,035,136. Other expense categories such as employee benefits, purchased services, supplies, capital outlay and other expenses are projected to increase at a total combined rate of 18.5%. Detailed explanations of the budget-to-budget changes are provided throughout this document." (emphasis added)
And the PRU Crew thought, damn, that doesn't sound too good at all! -- without the FAA funds in the mix, expenditures are still expected to increase twice as much as expected revenues? -- and board member Eric Uhlig is pleased about this?
Once again, the PRU Crew feels underwhelmed and uninspired by the fiscal management on display at District 64. Maybe we're missing something, but the continual growth in what looks to us to be red-ink-spending by our local school board and district leaves us feeling rather sucke(red)!
9 comments:
If you give money to the government, the government will spend it whether they need to or not. Good thing the last referendum won approval. I am so happy my taxes keep going up and the board can keep spending it on higher salaries.
I could not agree more with your comments here, PRU. Thank you for writing about this.
In a time when many homeowners are having to decrease spending in some areas so we can pay our ever increasing property taxes-the school district is proposing a double digit increase in spending with over 7% for compensation for teachers. Absolutely irresponsible and ridiculous. This is nothing to be pleased about.
We pay high fees for our children to attend the public D64 schools and are asked to bring in all sorts of supplies through out the year. Many maintenance projects at the schools-like painting-are actually paid for by money raised by the PTO's. Parents volunteer to provide some support services-both administrative and in the classroom. So it appears that our real estate taxes cover basically only teacher salaries and their ridiculous pensions. Throw in some property maintenance.
I find it disgusting that a board member would be pleased with a double digit increase in spending at a time when most companies are finding ways to cut back without cutting service. Let's hope some one on the board is reading your website and decides to take a closer look at spending and make some changes before the budget is approved.
1:48:
"So it appears that our real estate taxes cover basically only teacher salaries and their ridiculous pensions".
I guess you were so overcome by rage at the selfishness of the teachers that you somehow missed the part about benefits and other services increasing 18.5%.
As an aside, I believe a D64 teacher who is collects their "ridiculous pension" does not have the right to collect social security. Of course if you take a teacher my age, they have about the same chance of collecting theri pension as I do of SS - that being only a tick above 0%.
2:03,
The funny thing is I don't hear any teachers or administrators clamoring to be let out of their pension plans which you claim they haven't got a chance to ever collect.
If the teachers unions thought the taxpayers weren't good for the dough then they would be clamoring to be let into the SS system and manage their own 401K plans and take their chances in the stock market like the rest of us.
Costs go up but the double digit increases the district is planning is ridiculous.
Good job, PRU. I too thank you for writing about this.
I read the article last week and didn't even think about how the escalating expenses stack up against revenues. How long does the district think it can keep up this kind of spending and not end up in a financial mess???
Like Anon 1:48 said, many of us are having to cut back just to keep up with things. I agree, it is irresponsible and ridiculous.
PRU Administrator,
Your comments are spot on.
That said, this years payroll budget, in order to be better understood, should be compared with prior year payroll actuals.
Butterly on Education has created a nine-year payrol report for District 64 to help you do just that.
http://emsd63review.blogspot.com/2010/03/nine-year-report-park-ridge-school.html.
I hope this helps.
2:03-Teachers do not participate in SS because they do not contribute to it!!! If given the option-would a teacher give up the defined benefit they receive annually upon retirement with the automatic annual increase in their retirement payment that is not tied to the rate of inflation and participate in SS? I highly doubt it.
Teachers are paid handsomely for what they do 40 weeks out of the year. Unlike years ago when teachers were not paid as highly and many did it for the love of teaching-today's teachers are paid similar to what non-unionized professionals make who work more than 40 weeks of the year. To top it off-they get a great pension plan. Quit your b*tching-teachers have nothing to complain about.
2:03-The pensions of teachers and other government employees-which are funded by the taxpayer-are ridiculous. Unless someone in government-at the local school board level through to the state level-does not have the guts to revise the pensions to make them more reflective of what the rest of working America gets, then the financial problems we face will continue into the future. Taxpayers only have so much to give and it should not be given to fund overly generous pensions.
Anonymous @ 1:48,
I read your comment earlier where you said..."We pay high fees for our children to attend the public D64 schools and are asked to bring in all sorts of supplies through out the year. Many maintenance projects at the schools-like painting-are actually paid for by money raised by the PTO's. Parents volunteer to provide some support services-both administrative and in the classroom. So it appears that our real estate taxes cover basically only teacher salaries and their ridiculous pensions. Throw in some property maintenance."
...and I've been thinking about it since... I didn't quite cringe or recoil...but *something* didn't "sit right" about it...
I completely agree with the totality of your sentiments and I'm also hoping a board member will have the gumption to raise the issue(s).
That being said, I think I know what bothered me about the middle section of your comment...it came across as if parents *shouldn't* have to pitch-in volunteer time, pay additional fees, or raise money for projects...and in my experience, basic paint jobs are done by D64 as regular maintenance, but several of those very nice wall murals at several schools ARE PTO/A projects...and that is as it should be.
I do think parents should pay extra and go the extra mile...if they have the time and resources...to give more than simply writing a property tax check twice a year.
Funding public education is and should continue to be a community-wide effort, because an educated population benefits EVERYone, not just the educated individual.
I guess where that concept gets "fudged" when we get to the question of where does a "good education" end and uber-indulgence of "wants and whims" begin? I've long appreciated ELF for their volunteer efforts at providing for some of the "wants and whims"...ugh...stantons, I won't forget those!...and the concept behind ELF, to "give it a try" and see if the grant leads to something which can/will truly enhance the curriculum is terrific, in my opinion.
...but at the core of the issue, I do think parents *should be* expected to pay extra and provide extra supplies. It just seems like something parents should do while their kiddos are enrolled and (hopefully) benefiting from the public education the entire community is paying to provide.
...and in case I haven't "plugged" ELF enough..GO ELF!...one of the best volunteer experiences you're likely to ever have.
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