A Budget Warning From Elmhurst D205 Official

ELMHURST, IL – Fifteen years ago, Elmhurst School District 205 employed 530 teachers – one for every 15 students, according to state records.

Last year, that number was 596, which works out to one for every 14 students.

For a long time, board member Jim Collins has warned about continued hikes in staffing, even while enrollment has stayed about the same.

At this week's school board meeting, officials presented a plan to fill 7½ more certified positions next year. This class of employees is even larger than simply teachers. The total would be 725, for a district of about 8,200 students.

At the meeting, Collins cautioned his colleagues about increasing staff. He related what happened after he joined the board in 2009.

According to state records, the district employed 477 teachers three years before Collins arrived. Enrollment was 7,571.

In 2009, the district employed 530 teachers, an 11 percent jump. Meanwhile, enrollment edged up to 7,905, a 4 percent increase.

Collins said the increase in teachers was to fill classrooms built at every elementary school. Under a union contract, teachers were set to get significant raises three years in a row, he said.

"In early 2010, it became apparent that there wasn't going to be enough money to pay the bills come the low cash flow point," Collins said. "The district went about to set that imbalance straight because our finances were upside down. We were not taking in enough money to pay our bills, including our salaries."

The district, he said, laid off more than 50 people.

"While it was uncomfortable and awkward for the board to make a very tough decision, the people who really took the toll were our employees," Collins said.

All but one of the 7½ additional positions for next year are in special education or English-as-a-second-language instruction.

Officials said the increases were needed to meet requirements and program needs.

Collins responded that he wasn't questioning the need to meet state requirements.