Oak Park School District 97 administrators spelled out a budget approval timeline April 11 at the board of education’s first meeting after voters approved two revenue-generating referendum questions on April 4.
Oak Park voters supported the two questions — a tax rate increase and a bond issue — by wide margins. Officials had said the district would have faced steep staffing and programming cuts had the effort failed. The tax increase, which would bring about roughly $13 million in new revenue in its first year, was approved by about 54 percent of voters. Just over 59 percent of voters backed the bond issue, which would produce $57.5 million for facilities improvements.
District administrators and board members were careful to emphasize community involvement, fiscal transparency and better district communication moving forward.
“We are not going back out to the community for another referendum,” District 97 Superintendent Carol Kelley said April 11. “So, what that means is that everything that we do now, we’re talking about aligning our fiscal resources to our vision because we want to make sure that we are being fiscally responsible and also really intentional in honoring the community’s voice.”
The District 97 vision, listed on its website, says it “will create a positive learning environment for all students that is equitable, inclusive and focused on the whole child.”
Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Alicia Evans echoed her colleague.
“So, now we have the money to do what we need to do,” Evans said. “We need to make sure we are very respectful of the voice of the taxpayers that gave us their confidence.”
Over the next month, Evans and Kelley said, the district will develop a working draft of the budget. Then, after community input, including the district’s “Let’s Talk” forum, a final document will be presented to the board in late July or early August. Final approval is expected in September 2017.
“I’ve been talking to a lot of voters; they’ve been expressive …,” school board member Jim O’Connor said. “There’s definitely a lot of people who are expecting us to make this stretch, just like they do their own budget at home.”
Acknowledging that message, board members amended a motion requesting up to $1.1 million for new classroom library and reading curriculum materials from district administrators. Administrators said the last refresh was more than a decade ago.
Board members requested district administrators inventory existing material and bring back a specific dollar amount by June 2017.
Board President Jim Gates gave his support for the program, which the board had previously discussed in January 2017, but said the optics of a significant purchase “on the heels” of the referendums were not great. The board, Gates said, must demonstrate why the program is cost-effective and necessary, reaching out to the community to explain the rationale.
“I think it’s critical, especially with a big-ticket item like this,” Gates said. “And not just to the school community. We know how those folks voted; we’ve gotta get this out to the broader segment of the community.”
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Thomas Vogel is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.