Elmhurst Schools See 'Mind-Blowing' Savings: Official

ELMHURST, IL – A fresh set of eyes on costs may result in dividends for Elmhurst School District 205.

Last year, the district hired two key officials who now say they see opportunities for savings.

They are Joe Blomquist, assistant superintendent of finance, and Brent Braski, the facilities director.

They have gone out to bid for garbage service. The low bidder was Waste Management at $65,703 a year, followed by Republic Services at $71,702 and LRS at $106,300.

The low bid is about $80,000 less per year than the district's current service with Republic, officials said.

At the school board's finance committee meeting last week, Blomquist said the bids are considered preliminary as officials "comb through every last piece of data."

Board members said they liked the numbers.

"It's just another mind-blowing example of when we take a peek at things, there's room for improvement," member Courtenae Trautmann said. "I really appreciate all the work that your team is putting into finding ways to save our taxpayers' money."

The board's president, Athena Arvanitis, agreed.

"I'm just happy Brent and Joe are sitting in this room with us month after month," she said.

The district is also poised to see savings with copiers and electricity.