District 30 Predicts $300,000 Budget Surplus

While school districts around the country are struggling, predicts positive changes in its 2011-12 budget.

“The news is really very good,” Assistant Superintendent for Finances and Operations Chris Young told board members at Wednesday night's budget meeting.

According to Young’s report, the district’s budget will see a 1.8 percent increase in revenue and a less than one percent increase in expenditures for the 2011-2012 school year. That means that District 30 will see a budget surplus of about $300,000, according to Young.

With officials working on the budget since last fall, District 30 will see a budget surplus of about $300,000.

Approximately 90 percent of the district’s revenue comes from property taxes and 71 percent of expenditures relate directly to personnel,

“The driver is salaries,” Young said.

The district will be seeing some reductions in salaries, as a handful of teachers are retiring, he noted.

At the regular school board meeting following the budget talk, board members approved a motion to make the tentative budget available to the public for the next 30 days.

A public hearing will then be held before final approval at a September meeting.

Board members also approved the retirement of three teachers and filled three full-time teaching positions at the regular meeting.