Center Cass In Bad Financial Shape: District

DARIEN, IL – Center Cass School District 66 acknowledges it's in bad financial shape.

It recently mailed out an eight-page newsletter focused on the Nov. 8 referendum. Voters are set to decide whether to increase District 66's portion of the property tax bill by nearly 20 percent.

In its newsletter, the district answered a question about why the district's finances are so poor.

The district blamed a two-decade-old practice of using early tax dollars, along with its use of cash reserves since 2015.

"The financial difficulties stem from operating revenues not being able to keep up with escalating expenses," the newsletter said.

The district said it is spending $3,000 less per child than the average kindergarten-through-eighth grade district in DuPage County.

"Fast forward to today and the district has depleted the fund balances and does not have enough cash on hand to make it through a full school year," the newsletter said.

If the referendum fails, students will experience larger class sizes, fewer bus routes, a shorter school day and no extracurricular activities, the district said in the newsletter.

Also, the district said band, choir, art and STEM programs could be cut. And kindergarten, it warned, could move to a half day.

If the referendum passes, the district said it would restore extracurricular activities that have been cut, restore regular bus routes, restore 20 to 30 minutes of the school day, and increase buildings' health and safety.

In August, the district cut positions cut after voters rejected a 24 percent tax increase earlier in the summer. Officials warned another failed referendum would mean the layoff of teachers.

According to the district, it has the eighth-lowest property tax rate of 27 DuPage County elementary districts. It said it would remain on the low end, even if the tax hike passes.

For a $300,000 house, the property tax bill would rise to $2,346, from $1,969, according to the district.