Glen Ellyn School District 41 Glen Ellyn School District 41
 

Glen Ellyn School District 41 Mission: Ignite passion. Inspire excellence. Imagine possibilities.

Board Members: Steven Vondrak President | Robert Solak Vice President | Erica Nelson Secretary | Terra Costa Howard | Drew Ellis | Jack Kahler | Dan Smith Jr.

Following is a summary of the Board of Education meeting held on November 2, 2009.   An MP3 recording of the meeting is available on www.d41.org   Minutes are posted once approved.
RECOGNITIONS
The Board recognized Lincoln and Franklin School Nurse Karen Pfaff, who has passed the National Board for Certification of School Nurses exam. This is a voluntary exam that documents excellence in the field of school nursing. Karen is now qualified to use the NCSN (National Certified School Nurse) initials with her Registered Nurse title. The BOE also recognized the Hadley New Horizons (HNH) communication work, which earned a Golden Achievement award from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). This award recognizes exemplary communication efforts that demonstrate research, analysis, communication and evaluation. Communications Director Julie Worthen submitted the application representing the collaborative communication work of the HNH Steering Committee over the course of last year.

 UPCOMING MEETINGS
The BOE will hold a special meeting on Nov. 9, 5:30 p.m. at the Central Services Office, 793 N. Main St., Glen Ellyn. The next regular meeting will be on Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m. at Abraham Lincoln School, 380 Greenfield Ave., Glen Ellyn. The annual Truth in Taxation Public Hearing is set for Dec. 7, 7:15 p.m. at the Central Services Office, to be followed by a regular BOE meeting. The public is always welcome to attend.
2009 TAX LEVY HEARING SET FOR DEC. 7
After an overview of the tentative tax levy, the BOE passed a resolution of its intent to levy. It also set the annual Truth in Taxation public hearing set for Dec. 7, 7:15 p.m. at the Central Services Office. The BOE will take action on the levy at the meeting directly following the hearing. Information on the tentative levy is posted on the district Website and the hearing notice will appear in the Nov. 26 issue of The Glen Ellyn News. The levy is the total amount of tax dollars requested by the district. The amount the district will actually receive is governed by the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law, commonly known as the Tax Cap. This law limits any increase in tax dollars to 5% or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is less. For the 2010-2011 tax cycle, CPI is 0.1%. Taxes on new construction provide additional dollars to the district. School districts often request more than they estimate they will be eligible to receive, because they must submit their levies in December, before the total EAV (Equalized Assessed Valuation, or the total taxable property value) is known. In the spring, the county clerk calculates the actual amount that the district is eligible to receive under the tax cap. If the district has requested less than it is eligible to receive, the county clerk will not adjust the levy upward. If the district has requested more than it is eligible to receive, the county clerk will reduce the amount to comply with the tax cap. This year, the district is requesting $40,043,392-an increase over last year of 2.52%. It expects to actually receive an increase of approximately .87%. An individual's property tax bill is determined by the value of their property and the District 41 portion may change by some other percentage. Here is more information on the levy timeline and process as well as FAQs.



FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS
PMA Financial Network presented its annual update to the five-year financial projections. Using a software that factors in hundreds of data points and allows virtually limitless scenario analysis, the projections help the district know what the financial future may hold, and take steps to alter the course, if necessary. The projections are dynamic, meaning that they change depending on what factors are put in. The projections show a deficit-spending trend, with a steep decline in reserves from 2012-2015.



ADMINISTRATION OUTLINES $1 MILLION IN REDUCTIONS
Because district revenues are closely tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), revenues for Fiscal Year 2010-2011 are expected to be largely flat to last year. While the CPI is expected to increase somewhat in future years, revenue growth will continue to to be much less than in past years. At the same time, district expenses continue to rise, outpacing the CPI. As a first step in addressing anticipated financial difficulties, Superintendent Dr. Ann Riebock outlined $1 million in spending reductions for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010-2011, mostly the result of staff reductions at the Central Services Office and cuts in capital projects. Four positions at the CSO will be eliminated by June 30, 2010 due to retirements or job eliminations; over the last two years, seven CSO positions will have been eliminated. No job cuts are proposed for the school buildings. Dr. Riebock noted that before creating the reduction plan, the District surveyed employees to solicit their perspectives. Details of the reduction plan will be communicated toward the end of November. As always, as positions become vacant, the administration will analyze the roles to see if the responsibilities can be handled another way. Dr. Riebock noted that the most effective way to impact the financial trends depicted by PMA is to reduce salary and benefit expenditures, which compound every year. While cutting fixed costs helps, it does not have the same impact on the bottom line. Development of a longer-term reduction plan is in progress, said Dr. Riebock, which will include about $1.5 million in reductions for FY 2011-2012. The plan will help the district navigate the next few years in a financially sound state, while maintaining a quality education and protecting student services.




CAPITAL PROJECTS
The BOE approved two aspects of summer 2010 capital projects: a contract with District architect FGM, Inc. for project design and engineering services, and permission for the District to solicit bids on the projects. These matters were discussed at the Oct. 19 meeting



AUDIT CONTRACT
The District extended its contract with Baker-Tilly for auditing services. The matter was discussed at the Oct. 19 meeting



PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
A parent urged the BOE to keep student needs in the forefront as it considers financial decisions.




About the Glen Ellyn School District Board of Education
Board members are unpaid volunteers, each representing the whole district. The board is accountable to the public and makes decisions as a unit based on what is best for the whole district. The board hires the superintendent, sets instructional policy, approves the budget and ongoing expenditures, and is ultimately responsible for the performance of the district. Board meetings are working sessions held in public during which the board conducts its business, and ample time is always set aside for public participation.  
Please direct your questions or comments to our Communications Director, Julie Worthen at jworthen@d41.org.
Glen Ellyn School District 41