The District 99 Board of Education held its business meeting on January 23, 2017.
Highlights include:
South High's Ed Schwartz, Laura Coster and Glenn Williams
Staff Recognition – The Board recognized and congratulated South High Fine Arts Chair Glenn Williams and Fine Arts Teacher Laura Coster. Each received the 2017 Mary Hoffman Award for Excellence from the Illinois Music Education Association. South High Principal Ed Schwartz commented how rare it is for one school to have not only one, but two recipients receiving this prestigious award. The Board also praised Williams and Coster for being two of the first National Board Certified Teachers at District 99.
District 99 Education Foundation – Foundation Board Members Don Renner and Martha Merilos thanked the 10 local pizzerias, the Foundation Executive Director Denise Callarman and district staff members for their help with the fourth annual Pizza Wars event on January 19. Over 700 community members attended, raising over $15,000 for the high schools. Tortorice’s was the overall winner, Lou Malnati’s was recognized for “best sauce,” and Olive Theory won “best crust.” Please see photos from the event here.
Student Fees – Controller Mark Staehlin reviewed the recommended student fees for the 2017-18 school year. District 99 recommends increasing the Registration/Textbook fee by $5, to $315 next school year. This represents an inflationary increase of 1.6%. All other fees will remain the same; free admission to athletic events, plays and musicals will continue for all students. Revenue from fees contributes nearly $2 million to District 99’s budget; District 99’s fees are lower than those charged by other high schools in DuPage County.
Quarterly Financial Report – Controller Mark Staehlin reviewed the quarterly financial report, saying there is concern about the state reimbursing the district. He noted that at this time last year, the state was behind in payments by $1 million; this year, the state is behind by $2.5 million. The district cut expenses by $1.1 million last year, in anticipation of the possible state shortfall.
BOE Approvals – The Board unanimously approved the recommended staffing ratio for 2017-18 as well as moving forward with the transformer project at South High in the amount of $379,000. The Board also approved the abatement resolution of Alternative Revenue Bonds, which serves as a safety net if District 99’s other revenue sources become unavailable. “This illustrates great fiscal management for our taxpayers,” said Board Member Mike Davenport.