School District 200
Budget recalls laid-off teachers, staff
More than two-thirds of the 211 teachers and staff in Wheaton Warrenville School District 200 who fell victim to $8.6 million in budget cuts are being called back to work.
Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Lori Belha said 153 part-time staff and teachers in their first through fourth years have been recalled, and that number may change based on any increases to student enrollment.
Bill Farley, assistant superintendent for business operations, said the district knew it let go more staff then necessary, but did it to allow more flexibility within the budget. Contributing to the number recalled is 35 teacher retirements, employees taking new positions and new students coming into the district.
The proposed budget for this school year shows about $146 million in revenue and $145.3 million in expenses. It is expected to be adopted in September following a public hearing scheduled for Aug. 25.
The budget follows months of contentious debate among board members, who cut staff, reconfigured programs, renegotiated contracts, raised fees and froze teacher salaries in order to close what started as a gap of more than $8 million.
Second- and third-year teachers were recalled at a higher rate — 39 of the 45 second-year teachers and 63 of the 67 third-year teachers, Belha said. Thirteen of the 20 first-year teachers were brought back as well as one of four fourth-year teachers.
Additionally, 33 of the 63 part-time teachers were recalled and four of the 13 initially hired with one-year contracts will be back.
Not all of the teachers will be returning to full-time work or their former positions, but Farley said it is a goal to bring back as many employees as possible.
— Jenn Zimmerman
Downers Grove
Village mulls annexing more taxpayers
As part of the 2010-12 long-range financial planning process, Downers Grove officials are mulling an idea to annex numerous unincorporated properties into village boundaries as a way to generate more tax revenue.
At the July 13 Village Council meeting, officials presented the board with an annexation report that estimated that the annual revenue per year for the village would be about $1.9 million.
But commissioners decided to send the report to the finance and administrative committee for review.
The report is expected to come back to the board in 45 days for additional discussion.
Village Manager David Fieldman said in the report that unincorporated properties already utilize some village services including the Police Department.
“However, the owners of the unincorporated properties do not pay the taxes used to provide the patrols,” Fieldman said.
The report focuses on the annexation of six unincorporated areas totaling 997 acres.
Those areas include the North Fairview area, north of 39th Street between Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital and Williams Street; the northwest area, between Ogden Avenue and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks bounded by Walnut Avenue and Edward Street; the south area, north of 75th Street between Main Street and Webster Street and Village Square Condominiums and 73rd Street; the Belmont Park area, between 63rd Street and Maple Avenue bounded by Walnut Avenue and Downers Drive; the northeast area, on the north side of 31st Street and east of the Highland Landmark office park and lastly some miscellaneous areas including properties on Fairview Avenue south of 63rd Street and Fairview Avenue and 40th Street and Lee Avenue.
The full report can be viewed on the village’s Web site, http://www.downers.us.
— Joseph Ruzich
