Budget Cuts Expected At Center Cass: Official

DARIEN, IL – With the voters' rejection of a tax increase this week, Center Cass School District 66 will consider budget cuts, the superintendent said Friday.

The school board will also look at running the tax issue again in the November general election, Superintendent Andrew Wise said in an interview.

Center Cass serves students in parts of Darien and Downers Grove.

In Tuesday's election, 60 percent of voters opposed the tax increase. Under the measure, the district's portion of the property tax bill was expected to rise 24 percent.

A board meeting is planned for early August on budget cuts and the referendum.

"An update will be sent to parents toward the end of July, prior to the August board meeting," Wise said.

The board has already reduced the number of positions and made other budget cuts, Wise said.

"We have increased fees wherever we could," Wise said. "Our needs are real."

Nearly 90 percent of Illinois school districts are designated by the state as being at the top financial level, labeled "recognition.

Center Cass falls under "review" status, which is one step below "recognition." That puts it among 74 districts of the state's 851.

With the failure of the referendum, Center Cass may fall to "financial early warning" status in the next couple of years, Wise said. About 3 percent of the state's school districts are in the lower designations of "financial early warning" and "financial watch."

At the lower levels, the state can take more control of districts' finances.