D308 Budget Cut Plan Includes Teaching Staff Reduction

OSWEGO, IL — The Oswego School District 308 Board of Education received a list of potential budget cuts during its Monday meeting. According to the presentation provided, the reduction would be a total of $5.7 million, spanning six potential areas:

• District Administration Budgets
• District Administration Positions
• Staff Reductions due to Declining Enrollment
• Secondary Reductions
• Lessons Learned from Remote Learning
• Other

Superintendent John Sparlin said that the district has already reduced its budget by $14.4 million since 2016 to offset a budget deficit. He said 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.

District Administration Budgets

In this area, the projected total reduction will be $526,200. This will be achieved by:

• Leasing drivers' education vehicles, which will save the district $409 per car as opposed to renting them.
• Reducing maintenance budget
• Implement a direct contracting agreement with a major medical provider, which provides cost savings to employees who utilize this provider.
• Work with brokers to negotiate savings with carriers to reduce annual premium on liability insurance.
• Train staff members on technology in house.
• Eliminate Dreambox — a supplemental elementary math software program that has not had widespread use. Schools, however, can use their own money to continue using it.

Staff Reductions due to Declining Enrollment

During a meeting last June, a specialist brought in had projected a decrease of 400 students throughout the district over the next five years. At the elementary level, he projected an increase of 100 students over five years, a decrease of 400 students at the junior high level, and a decrease of about 50 students at the district's two high schools.

To save more than $2 million in this area, the district suggests the following:

• Decrease five elementary special education teaching assistants
• Decrease one junior high teacher due to decrease in enrollment
• Decrease 27 elementary teachers

Lessons Learned From Remote Learning

A total saving of over $1 million is being projected.

• Stop printing student planners train students to use a digital calendar instead of a printed calendar.
• Reduce the need for substitutes as during remote learning, teachers utilized assignments through Google Classroom to continue instruction without the use of substitutes. This same practice will be done during school hours to decrease substitute costs for junior high and high school. Non-licensed staff will be used for supervision during these times instead of substitute teachers/internal coverage.
• Move to four days of in-person and one day of online instruction. Students would continue to gain experience with digital and independent learning. Savings will be through reduced transportation and energy costs.

Chief Financial Officer Christy Tyler said that the district’s FY21 budget was adopted before Sept. 30, when the plan was to return to in-person learning in November. Tyler updated the district’s five-year projections to show savings under remote learning that have come from substitute teacher costs, PPE supplies, classroom supplies, transportation salaries, and in transportation and food service. Those savings have reduced the district’s projected deficit of $5.9 million to $1.5 million by the end of FY21.

As a result of the deficit decrease, the district can now end FY21 with a positive balance of $19 million, and a budget of $31.7 million by FY26.

The board will take action on the list of potential cuts at its next meeting on Feb. 8.