Oswego School District & Community Face Tough Budget Decision

OSWEGO, IL — Several high school students spoke in favor of arts and sports programs during School District 308's public comment period Monday night. For nearly an hour, board members and the public listened to students, along with some parents and education professionals, implore the board not to cut extracurricular programs.

"The state legislature has failed our district," said Board President Brad Banks, addressing the crowd. "This is going to be a collaborative effort between the board, administrators, teachers, unions, support staff, and most importantly, you, our parents and taxpayers. We need everyone to be a part of this solution."

State cuts, among other factors, have put the district in a tough place when trying to make up for its deficit, which could be as high as $11 million between now and the year 2023, according to WGN9. $6 million would balance the budget. $10 million would put them in good financial standing with healthy reserves, Banks said in a phone interview Wednesday.

District 308 includes 21 schools across Oswego, Montgomery, Aurora and Plainfield. Board members have been mulling over more than 500 budget-reduction suggestions from the community since its last meeting late November.

"As a result," said Banks, "we need to reconsider our timeline." The board is coming up with a five-year plan, which he says, cannot be completed by January, as originally intended. Banks confirmed that the 2018/2019 budget needs to come to a vote in late January or early February. But in terms of solidifying a five-year plan, they haven't nailed down a date.

"We're still getting suggestions from the community. We want to do it right the first time so we don't have to backtrack and make modifications." The board will be taking each suggestion under consideration, and rating the plausible ones by how much of an impact they'll have in the classroom.

He also added that seeking an operating referendum will not happen on his watch, and that Oswego residents are paying enough in taxes as it is. The silver lining from the district's growing pains is that "everybody understands the situation," said Banks. "We can't trust the state government to fund the public schools properly like they should," and as a result, "it's a great exercise for not just the district, but the community, as well."

More than a hundred people showed up to Monday's meeting. Several students made emotional appeals to the board Monday, pleading for them not to make cuts to arts and sports programs. Ben Dobberstein of Oswego High School was one such student.

"They are [...] vital to the success of our community and the entire school district. I understand the difficulties that you all face when making these tough decisions," the senior said, "but I want you to understand how much this means to all of us." He also expressed concerns about the possibility of programming cuts leading to a less desirable place for families to live.

17-year-old Alyssa Filicicchia addressed the board, saying, "This entire group on stage, it's not all your responsibility. The entire community needs to be working on ways to make this possible because we absolutely cannot allow for programs to be cut."

No action was taken Monday evening. The district board's next meeting will take place Tuesday, Jan. 16, a day later than regularly scheduled because of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

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