During the last few weeks and months, a question has been asked of District #35 school board members. “Why are you building a bus barn?” Clearly, community member have concerns relative to the construction of this facility in relation to the current economy and the reduction of school staff personnel last March. The question and concerns are both valid, and I will try and offer a response.
First, state law requires school boards “to provide for the revenue necessary to maintain schools in their districts.” Now this phrase is not limited to just the buildings in the school district, but applies to everything that is required to make the district functional, teachers, support staff, equipment, supplies, busses, utilities – you get the idea. All school districts are required to maintain separate accounts for the particular types of work that the districts are doing. For example, there are four “operational” accounts: education, transportation, operations and maintenance, and the working cash fund. It is from these four fiscal accounts that the financial health of the district is determined.
Monies contained within these various accounts can not be used to pay for activities going on in the other accounts. For example, all district salaries are paid from the education fund. Maintenance of facilities and new construction are paid for from the operations and maintenance account. To further complicate the money management problem, many personnel are hired based on the availability of state and federal grant funds. These funds may or may not be available from year to year or in the same amount of money received in the previous fiscal year. Many of these grants do not become available until late spring into the summer. This year was particularly difficult because the state had no budget on July 1, 2009 and state funded grant programs could not be planned for. As everyone knows by now, many of these programs were either cut back or zeroed out for this school year.
Why is this important? It helps to explain why people are released from the district. In particular, two points stand out. First, the school code requires the Board of Education to give 60 days notice prior to the end of the school year for some staff personnel not being called back for the following academic year. Not knowing how much grant money is going to be available and which grant programs are going to be funded for the next school year forces the Board of Education to release people in March of each year in order to meet the 60 day notification requirement. As grants become available, many of these people are rehired prior to the beginning of the next school year. Second, the loss of student population causing an estimated smaller enrollment for the following school year can result in staff personnel being released in March as well. Personnel may be honorably released if the district does not have the student population or need as many sections of a particular class. It is very simple; if the workload is not there, then the size of the staff can be reduced.
Now, it is time for a few words concerning the bus barn. Flora’s Board of Education has been aware for many years concerning the need to relocate the Bus Barn. Not only do we have way too many buses in a residential area, but student parking becomes a serious issue every spring as eligible students complete their drivers education training and get their driver’s license. It is a safety and congestion issue. With this thought in mind, the board and administration spent a considerable amount in time in trying to identify a location for a new bus barn somewhat more central to the location of our schools in Flora. With a generous contribution from the city, that spot was identified. In fact, if you take a short drive down south Standford Road, you will see the new Bus Barn taking shape.
The Bus Barn project was funded through a sale of bonds to finance the construction of this new facility, a process used many times before. The community of Flora has been paying a bond rate for a great number of years as part of its tax levy. These funds allow the district to upgrade its facilities or build new ones. For example, the addition to Floyd Henson Junior High School and the recent modernization of the high school gym are only two examples of your tax dollars being used for the educational benefit of the district’s students. In terms of bond rates and your taxes, we are blessed as a community with having one of the lowest tax rates in this geographic area of the state. In fact, the cost of the new bus barn only raised taxes approximately $25 dollars per a $75,000 dollar home.
Please keep in mind that these bond monies are completely separate from the funds used to pay personnel and cannot be used for that purpose. So it is possible to reduce district staff while; at the same time, start construction of a new building.
Unfortunately, I do not have a clue what the future holds for educational funding in this state. I am very concerned. I do know that the state has not been able to meet its General State Aid disbursements to school districts without the use of federal funds. Also, the state has not kept current with “categorical” programs like Job for Illinois Graduates (JILG) and our Pre-K programs. For this school year, some categorical programs have received full funding, some reduced funding, and other no funding at all. In fact, over the past 17 years, the state legislature passed 105 unfunded or underfunded education bills into law causing local school districts and communities to fund state mandates. In 2009 alone, the General Assembly sent 74 education bills to the Governor, 19 of which were unfunded or underfunded causing even more financial strain on local school districts and their communities.
For now, I know the district can move forward. Its fiscal health is excellent. Your Board of Education, our entire staff, and I are dedicated to do our very best to provide the finest possible educational opportunities for your children and our students in the coming days, weeks, and months ahead.
Dr. Gary B. May, Superintendent Flora Community Unit School District #35
