District 622 Administrators No Longer Recommending Staff Pay Freeze

On Tuesday night, the District 622 School Board is scheduled to make what board members have said will be difficult decisions on what to cut out of its 2011-2012 school year budget to reach $4 million in savings.

District administrators amended their recommended cuts based on input from staff and the public, according to a staff report. Parents, teachers and staff spoke on the proposed list of cuts at a public hearing March 8.

Administrators are no longer recommending a teacher pay freeze or cut in the number of teachers, which would have saved more than $1 million, according to the report. Instead, they’re recommending cutting $300,000 from the staff development budget, eliminating regular education bus monitors, a $70,000 savings, and putting one-time “federal jobs fund” money—an expected $980,627—in the general fund, rather than adding positions with it.

The staff report notes that the Legislature could decide to cut the jobs money, and then it would not be available to the district.

At its meeting at 7 p.m. March 22, the District 622 School Board is also scheduled to:

• Consider awarding bids for renovation projects at and .
• Consider approving a budget plan for integration equity to make the district eligible to receive an expected $1.7 million in integration revenue.