D308 Board Candidates Suggest Ways To Offset Budget Deficit

OSWEGO, IL — Ahead of the April 6 Consolidated Election, the seven candidates who are running for the four open seats on the Oswego School District 308 Board of Education, offered suggestions on how to improve the district's financial situation during a virtual forum hosted by Parents for Education and Global Success last month.

The candidates are: Keisha Earl of Oswego, Eugene Gatewood of Aurora, Katie Heiden of Oswego, Jennifer Johnson of Oswego, Dr. Donna Marino of Aurora, LaTonya Simelton of Oswego and Eulalia Valdez of Oswego.

The board recently voted to approve a budget cut of $4.9 million, even though, the district has already reduced its budget by $14.4 million since 2016 to offset a budget deficit. According to Superintendent John Sparlin, the current financial state is because of the lack of new funds allocated under the state's Evidence Based Funding formula and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Over the past few years, the board also imposed fee hikes. However, voters in the district have rejected three school tax hike referendums that would have boosted revenues for the district. The most recent one in 2019 was asking for a 30-cent operating tax rate increase per $100 of equalized assessed valuation, with the money generated to go into the district’s general fund.

This would have helped the district avoid deficit budgets, which would lead to more cuts. Marino said she does not see any other areas where "we can cut (the budget) much more."

"I'm all for evaluating where everything is going and being transparent to our community about that, but what I really think what we need to look for is how to produce more revenue," she said.

She suggested the district seek corporate sponsorships to help pay for selected programs, including athletics and art, or contract with a lobbyist to seek funding from the federal government. This, she said, will help with her goal of providing all the students with a world-class education.

Gatewood said educating the community at large about how the schools are financed is important. He stressed on the need to diversify the school district’s tax base, and said close to 80 percent of the district’s revenue is "completely on the backs" of local taxpayers. Meanwhile, the power to diversify is in the hands of local government.

"We have to figure out how we can do public-private partnerships. There are other (school) districts in the city, in the state and across the country that are using grants," he said.

He also suggested corporate sponsorships, along with leasing district facilities.

"But that will take time," he said. "We have to figure out what we are going to do to plug the dam while we allow time for these other revenue streams to come in.”"

Heiden said she wants to bring "innovative and creative" ideas for program creation that would help generate revenue for the district.

"Being a business owner, I know it’s important to do three things — create revenue, save on operational costs and cut your liabilities down," she said.

Simelton said the district has found itself in very difficult financial circumstance for a long time because these decisions are not easy. She said she believes residents have a responsibility as owners of the school district.

"What are our roles and responsibilities as it relates to what we need to do to make sure we are being stable in our financial stewardship?" Simelton said. "It is all of our responsibilities. When we make decisions, we need to make sure they are backed up with data. Let’s not make decisions about whether we levy or not without knowing or understanding where we are, whether it is three years from now or five years from now."

For Earl, it is about making sure the district pursues efforts to be fiscally responsible and financially stable. Just like everyone else, the district has to closely monitor its spending. Valdez said the district needs to have a strategic plan that the board could use in deciding how it spends federal, state and local tax revenues.

Johnson said as a board member she wants to ensure the board considers what is best for all the students.

"Whether we are making a decision about curriculum or finances...how do we tie it to an educational outcome?" she said.

For more news and information like this, subscribe to the Oswego Patch for free. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. Don't forget to like us on Facebook!