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Politics & Government

Pleasantdale District 107 Approves $12.9 Million Budget

School officials estimate a budget deficit of $400,000

The Board of Education Wednesday approved a $12.9 million budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year without dissent.

District Business Manager Catherine Chang outlined the highlights of the budget during a public hearing. She said expenses are projected to increase by 2.9 percent from the previous fiscal year.

“Salaries and benefits together comprise more than half the operating expenditures,” Chang noted.

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The district expects to spend almost exactly $3 million on teacher salaries, a figure that does not include expenditures for special education teachers and aides, early childhood salaries, summer school teacher salaries, and a variety of other salaries related to instruction.

The budget forecasts that revenues will not keep pace with the increased expenditures. In fact, the district is expecting revenue to decline by nearly 6 percent from $13.2 million to $12.5 million.

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The anticipated $400,000 deficit is due in part to the school board’s decision in February to approve a tax abatement of 7 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The board took that action due to the district’s large fund balance, which was at $12.66 million at the end of the 2010-2011 fiscal year. Even with the projected deficit, the district expects to end the 2011-2012 fiscal year with a fund balance of $12.22 million.

No citizens spoke for or against the budget during the public hearing and the board passed the budget without discussion on a 5-0 vote. Board members Patti Essig, who has resigned, and Gina Scaletta-Nelson were absent.

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