District 148 Approves Budget for 2019-2020 School Year
Initially presented in July, the Dolton West School District Board of Education voted and approved the budget for the 2019-2020 school on Tuesday, August 27, 2019, with a primary focus on literacy, math, social and emotional learning for students. "The Administration and Board of Education collaborated to develop a financial plan that offers more professional development opportunities for staff and continues to improve the learning environment for all of our students,” said District 148 Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kevin J. Nohelty.
At a glance:
- Projected Spending: $43,830,096 (spending up 10.1% from the previous fiscal year)
- Projected Revenue: $44,722,968 (revenue up 11.8% from the previous fiscal year)
The budget includes the following considerations:
- Property taxes are based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) (2.1 percent in 2017 and 1.9 percent in 2018)
- $23 million in state aid and $4.8 million in federal aid.
- Successfully negotiated multi-year labor contracts with the Dolton Education Association (DEA) and Dolton Support Association (DSA).
- Freeze on overall cumulative spending (supplies, purchased services and capital outlay) with the exception of Operations and Maintenance (where the cost of services—like electricity— cannot be easily controlled)
- Capital Improvements (a five-year roofing plan and new playground for ECC at Harriet Tubman School)
- Additional resources to improve district facilities’ safety and security
- Additional staff and resources to address students’ mental health for our students.
- District 148 will save taxpayers over $2 million by restructuring existing debt to retire it early
- Benefit costs expected to increase by 4%
Students, families, and the District 148 community can rest assured that the 2019-2020 budget not only has been efficiently balanced but is fiscally sound and solid. Note: A legal notice announcing the public hearing on the then tentative budget was placed in the Chicago Tribune’s Daily South Town newspaper on July 25th. All legal and statutory requirements have been met.
Contact: Jennifer Jones, Communications Specialist