Press Release From VVSD:
Faced with what School Board President Steve Quigley said will be a state funding situation that “is going to get ugly like you can’t believe,” the Valley View School District 365U Board of Education authorized $10.7 million in cuts for the district’s 2010-11 budget Monday night.
The vote was 4-3 with Quigley, Mike Evans, Liz Campbell and David Carlson voting in favor and Richard Gougis, Ronnie Bull and Jim Curran opposed.
The budget reductions will still leave the district with a $3.9 million deficit that will be covered by reserves the district maintains for dire situations like those now being faced by school districts throughout the state.
“The state has a serious problem,” Quigley said, holding his breath out of fear that Governor Quinn will propose a rumored 10 to 15 percent across-the-board cut in expenses in his budget address Wednesday. Such a cut could reduce Valley View’s general state aid next year by an additional $10 million.
“None of us know how this will play out,” said Dr. Phillip Schoffstall, superintendent of Valley View. “We may have to come back to you with additional reductions.”
Among some of the largest approved reductions:
●Delay of capital expenditures in Bldg. Operations Dept. ($949,000)
●A reduction in the use of contractual speech teachers ($700,000)
●Delaying scheduled new textbook purchases ($687,000)
●Work hour efficiencies in the Transportation Department ($600,000)
●Transfer Phoenix Experience to Bolingbrook High School ($515,000)
●Elimination of elementary summer school ($230,000)
●The elimination of 6th grade volleyball and basketball teams ($195,000)
●A 20% reduction in supply, equipment purchases ($185,000)
●Reduction in the number of after-school activity buses ($165,000)
●Reduction in MIS software maintenance and support ($135,000)
●Transportation Department fuel usage reduction ($100,000)
●Transportation Department overtime reduction ($95,000)
●60% reduction in K-5 instructional materials ($80,000)
●Reduction in the use of substitute teachers ($60,000)
●Reduction in print shop training, maintenance and repairs ($44,000)
●Elimination of bowling from the PE curriculum ($40,000)
●25% reduction in 6-12 instructional materials ($20,000)
●10% reduction in postage costs ($19,000)
Also included in the $10.7 million budget reduction package were the following staff reductions:
●Four administrators (including one assistant superintendent, the director and assistant director positions at Phoenix Experience and the director of professional development)
●18 general education teaching positions (including four Phoenix Experience positions)
●An as-yet-undetermined number of supported education parapros
●3 one-on-one special education parapros (at the VVSD Early Childhood Center)
●2.5 instructional parapro positions
●2 dean positions (one at each high school)
●2 office personnel positions
●1 security position (at Phoenix)
●½ maintenance personnel
“The expectation that the state is going to save us is not going to happen,” said board member David Carlson. ”We are going to run out of money eventually. We can slip by and not make these cuts now and it’ll be worse next year.”
“This is a dire situation that is very much out of our control,” said Gary Grizaffi, assistant superintendent for administrative services, who added that with the district’s reserves “we’re better off than most. We’re better able to weather the storm than our neighboring districts.”
3-9 2:30 PM
