Glenview District 34 Presents Plans To Cut Costs, Staff

GLENVIEW, IL — Administrators presented the Glenview District 34 Board of Education with a tentative staffing plan and an update on its cost savings efforts, which could reduce the district's current budget deficit of nearly $2.7 million. At the board's February meeting, administrators said they've found around $1 million in cost savings from increasing efficiency in the district and a "more strategic deployment" of staff will result in the elimination of 25 positions.

"We must be responsible stewards of the community’s resources by continually evaluating our budgetary constraints in tandem with the needs of our students,” Assistant Superintendent Eric Miller said. “Our latest financial projections show deficit spending for the next five years, and the efforts we have been engaged in as an administration will help decrease, although not completely eliminate, this growing deficit.”

Presenting the proposed staffing plan, Heather Hopkins, executive director of human resources, said the district expects to reduce its total staff size by 25.

All but two of the staff positions to be cut under the plan would come from educational support staff, according to the district.

“I want to emphasize that these numbers will change, as they are merely an estimate at this point in time. However, they provide us important insight about the needs of our buildings as we begin the process of developing our budget for next year,” Hopkins said.

The district hopes to cover some of the reduction through retirements, extended leave and other natural attrition, she told the board at its Feb. 12 meeting.

A spokesperson for the district emphasized the same staffing plan would be presented even if the district wasn't facing the multi-million dollar deficit.

"The reduction in 25 largely reflects a change in student need and a change in population," said Jennifer Nimke. "It doesn't reflect budget cuts."

The board can approve the staffing plan as soon as its March meeting, she said.

The process for formulating a tentative budget for next year begins in May.

Read more from D-34: Budget Update, Mid-Year Financial Report, Current Year Financial Projections, Staffing Report