At the recent United Board of Education meeting, discussion on the districts’ five-year financial projection was held, reports Superintendent Tom Hawkins:
“A slowdown in the Illinois economy also means that when our governor puts out the state budget, he also allocates less money towards education, especially in the areas of what we call mandated categoricals, like reimbursement for transportation. All types of transportation have really taken a hit this year and that is a huge expense for our district,” states Hawkins.
“One thing that is concerning for us is that our salaries are outpacing our revenue right now. We are going to look and study staffing patterns, enrollment patterns, and certain classes; we will move on from there,” Hawkins adds.
Superintendent Hawkins informs healthcare costs for the district are also a significant factor to finances.
