District 99 Raises Fees to Cope with Funding Loss

March 3, 2010

Downers Grove, IL — Classrooms are getting an unwelcome increase in size — but school officials are hoping for a budget breakthrough to bring the class sizes back down.

Community High School District 99 will see an increase in class sizes for the 2010-11 school year after the Board of Education approved a reduction in staff. The staffing ratio will be 22 students to one teacher which will reduce five full-time positions across the district. The reductions will result in $300,000 savings.

“This would be at the top of our list to add back,” Superintendent Mark McDonald said.

The board is predicting a $2 million loss from state funding for next school year.

“The state budget situation has caused us to anticipate a worse case scenario in terms of dollars,” McDonald said in a previous interview. “If state funding were to be the same this year, no fee increases or budget cuts would be required next year but that does not appear to be the case.”

During the Feb. 22 Board of Education meeting, school officials also approved budget reductions and fee increases for registration, athletic participation and student parking.

“We are very reluctant to raise fees, as we always are,” Beckman said. “The bottom line is it is better to raise fees a little bit and keep the programs. We elected to do that and we are hoping of course the downturn will be temporary.”

The board approved fee increases from $1 to $10 for registration/texbooks, lab, athletic participation, yearbook and family athletic passes. Student parking at Downers Grove North and South high schools will be increased by $25.

The board acknowledged raising fees will have an effect on families but it needed to be done to offset r ising costs and to avoid further reductions in valued programs.