District 30 adopts $31.4 million budget

The District 30 Board of Education unanimously adopted its proposed spending plan Monday night, which is expected to slightly lower taxes. Voters will have their say on the $31.4 million budget on May 18.

The plan increases spending by 2.7 percent, or about $824,000. The tax levy is expected to rise by 1.36 percent, however the average homeowner should see their tax bill decrease by $9.

No programs, services or staff will be cut.

The district is expecting about $5.25 million in state aid next year. Assistant Superintendent for Business Ed Cullen said that is 96 percent of Gov. David Paterson’s aid proposal for District 30.

Board of Education President Ken Cummings praised the work of the administration, particularly Cullen, to put together a spending proposal that did not cut programs for students. "I think it's a great budget," Cummings said. "The tax levy is something that is reasonable. It preserves programs."

Cummings said the board asked the administration to come up with the lowest possible increase. From there, he said, they sought to go even lower. "Things are not good and we certainly want to be cognizant of that for the community," he said. "I think we have a good story to tell in terms of our budget."