'Difficult' Money Decisions For Elmhurst D205: Official

ELMHURST, IL – An Elmhurst school board member expressed concern Monday with the school district's finances in a discussion over whether to hire a consultant who could cost up to $40,000.

"I feel like we are going to make some difficult financial decisions coming up in the next few months," member Courtenae Trautmann said during a special meeting.

As for the consultant's cost, she said, "To me, it seems like a lot."

The board voted to hire Mohsin Dada, whose last day as interim assistant superintendent of finance was Monday, as a consultant working for $200 an hour for up to a total of $40,000.

"I'm obviously supportive of a seamless transition between an interim and a new hiree, especially at the cabinet level," Trautmann said.

At the same time, she said the new assistant superintendent of finance, Joe Blomquist, who starts Tuesday, understands school finance and has already attended district meetings. Blomquist was a finance official in Lake Zurich District 95.

Superintendent Keisha Campbell said the district would be "mindful" of the hours for Dada. She said she wanted Dada to finish a few projects, particularly his work with the insurance committee.

Campbell also said the district could meet Trautmann's request for updates on the number of hours for Dada.

The board voted 5-0 for hiring Dada as a consultant. Members Nicole Slowinski and Kelly Henry were absent.

In her comments, Trautmann did not explain the difficult decisions or give specifics of the district's finances. Patch left an emailed message for comment Tuesday morning.

Dada was hired as the interim assistant superintendent after his predecessor, Chris Whelton, resigned in the wake of a subordinate's $50,000 in credit card misspending.

Elmhurst District 205 is one of only a handful of districts in Illinois with the state's worst financial rating. Most of the other low-ranking ones are far less wealthy than Elmhurst.

The district has said the rating resulted from an accounting change. Officials said they expect an improved designation later this year.

Teachers' salaries make up more than half the district's budget. The current union contract was approved a year ago and lasts another two years.

In 2024, the district was slammed with a 37 percent hike in health insurance costs.