District 113A Board Members Mull Possibility of Hiring More Teachers

 plans to discuss the feasibility and financial impact of hiring more teachers for the 2012-13 school year—a move that would require approval from the Illinois State Board of Education.

Last month, District 113A board members directed Interim Superintendent Robert Madonia to contact the state about a possible , as well as the usage of savings from the upcoming retirement of 12 teachers. The savings could potentially be used to hire additional teachers to reduce class sizes, Madonia said.

Any changes to the staffing plan would require an update to the district's financial plan, which must be approved by the state board.

On Tuesday, Madonia told board members that state officials sent a letter to the district requesting additional information regarding the financial impact of hiring more teachers.

Reading from the letter, Board Secretary Cindy Kelly said the state also expressed concern that District 113A is seeking "significant revisions to the financial plan."

Kelly said the letter also mentioned that the district could still require a financial oversight panel if its finances are not under control. The district  on the condition that the financial plan would continue to be enforced.

"(The way I interpreted the letter) is they want us to back off," Kelly said.

District 113A has been following a state-approved financial plan since being certified in financial difficulty in December 2009. The plan includes information on enrollment, staffing plans, borrowing, cash flow analysis, and budget expenditures and reductions.

The state board in January. In the meeting report, however, State Superintendent Christopher Koch expressed several lingering concerns about District 113A, including the number of revisions that have been made to the plan since it was adopted.

District 113A approved three amended financial plans in 2011 (June 28, Aug. 30 and, most recently, Dec. 7). During each of the meetings, former District 113A Superintendent Tim Ricker indicated that the financial plan needed to be amended to include updated cash flow projections and information on tax anticipation warrants.

Each of the plans was approved by a 4-3 vote, with Board President Mike Aurelio and Board Members Karen Siston and Al Malley casting the dissenting votes. In , Aurelio and Malley raised concerns over the surplus amounts projected each year, claiming they are too large.

The current plan does not include any increases in expenditures. In fact, it has required District 113A to make several drastic reductions over the past two years, including the  and .

Although the state board , ISBE Business Services Director Deb Vespa said the board's priority is to build fund balances.

"(They want to get to the point where) they don't have to rely on tax anticipation warrants for cash flow and (they want to) build their fund balances," . "That's one of the first things they would like to do is start to build the educational side so they can start to bring back some of the programs they had while still living within their means and reducing class sizes."

Board Member Lisa Wright said Tuesday that the district must devise a comprehensive plan before moving forward with increasing expenditures. In addition to studying the financial impact of hiring more teachers, the board should also consider the possibility of using funds for transportation or replacing outdated textbooks, she said.

"(The letter states), 'Please understand that any changes to District 113A's financial plan must deliberately and thoughtfully considered," and we have not done that to date," Wright said. "We simply haven't prioritized our expenditures for the upcoming year. The only thing that has worked is the (financial plan). We are where we are because it has been effective.

"Why can't we continue to respect that plan?" 

Aurelio expressed his continued dissatisfaction with the current plan, and said he would like to use the savings from retired teachers and the working cash bond to hire teachers and reduce class sizes.

"We have a four-year plan that basically limits us (and includes) no new teachers for the next two years," he said.

Board Member Kevin Doherty agreed with Wright.

"I'd like to see a comprehensive, thoughtful plan that the board has considered all options for increasing expenditures," he said.

When the board voted to respond to the letter from ISBE, the measure was shot down by a 3-4 vote. Wright, Doherty, Kelly and Vice President Dave Molitor voted no, and indicated they wanted to formulate a plan before going back to the state.

Aurelio, Malley and Siston were in favor of moving forward with the state's request for more information.

Siston said the board should have considered making a plan before contacting the state. Going back to the state and saying they would now like to delay hiring more teachers would make the board "look like a bunch of idiots," she said.

The board ultimately voted to provide ISBE officials with the information they requested, but will begin working with the administration to study the impact of hiring any more teachers.