District 13 adopts $48M budget proposal

Board of Education members voted to adopt District 13’s 2016-17 budget proposal on March 22, which preserves all programs, adds a professional development staff member, math specialist and two teachers in reserve.

The spending plan includes an increase of 1.45 percent in the tax levy over the current school year, or roughly $51 per household, not including the Central High School District’s portion.

Superintendent Constance Evelyn said that a highlight of the 2016-17 budget proposal is the two teachers in reserve, which allots salaries for two teachers in the event that the district should require a sudden increase in staff.

“I absolutely value [the board’s] trust and support for that particular item because it’s not a line item that this district has had in the past,” said Superintendent Constance Evelyn. “And those two teachers in reserve are serving the purpose of ensuring that we are prepared for unanticipated shifts in enrollment. Oftentimes students move into a district over the summer, and then when the numbers get too high at a particular grade level, we have to break the class and add an additional section, and if you don’t plan for that in the budget moving forward … then districts find themselves having to look in the budget in other places.”

The professional development staff member works with existing faculty to target areas of improvement, and the math specialist will help support the implementation of a strong math curriculum in the district.

Evelyn encouraged voters with and without children attending schools in the district to come out and support the budget, and called it “an investment in the future of the community.”

Evelyn said there would be more opportunities for community members to learn about what each component of the budget will service.

“We have budget ambassadors,” she said. “Mr. Antoine and I … are planning to visit every PTA meeting moving forward over the next six to eight weeks to go through the budget again so that people have a clear understanding of what we are trying to accomplish.”