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Schools

Park Ridge D-64 To Vote On Budget

Tentative plan does not take new labor contracts into account.

The Park Ridge Elementary District 64 school board will have a better idea of how much it will spend next year when it votes on the 2012-2013 budget Sept. 24, now that the district and the Park Ridge Education Association have agreed on a four-year contract.

The board held a public hearing on its tentative budget Sept. 10. The version presented then – the fourth draft of the tentative budget – called for about $72.1 million in revenue and about $70.4 million in expenditures, which is a 0.6 percent decrease from last year’s actual expenditures. That leaves a surplus of about $1.78 million, said Business Manager Rebecca Allard at the public hearing.

Earlier: District 64, teachers agree on contract

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Allard pointed out that salary increases have not yet been included in the proposed budget, pending final labor agreements. She said she expects the board to vote on the tentative budget as it was presented, with plans to vote on an amended budget after finishing all of its labor agreements.

“One important thing for everything to know is that this budget does not include any negotiated agreement that we are currently in the process of finalizing,” she said.

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“We are fine-tuning language with our teachers union we still have our PRTA, our teacher assistants’ contract and then the secretaries and custodians to negotiate with. Because it is so close to the final legal deadline to adopt the budget, we will have to adopt this year an (amended) budget again probably in January, so that we can make the budget as accurate as possible,” she said.

Other school districts routinely adopt amended budgets a few months into the school year to account for fluctuations in expenses caused by changes in enrollment or other unpredictable factors, she said.

While the teachers and school board have reached a tentative contract agreement, teachers were not set to vote on it until Sept. 18 and the board was to vote on it Sept. 24, at the same meeting when they approve the budget.

That meeting will take place at 7:30 p.m. at Franklin School.

Under the proposed contract, teachers would receive base raises of 2 percent for the next four years. They also would receive “step” raises based on their experience and education. Step raises vary; they average about 1.6 percent per year.

Under the terms of the contract, the salary for a new teacher with a bachelor;s degree will go from $44,883 to $45,780. Teachers will continue to pay part of the cost of their health and dental insurance, and will share in any cost increases. Also, the board and the teacher union will meet again to determine how to handle increased costs to the district if the Illinois General Assembly transfers responsibility for teacher pension payments from the state to local districts.

An ad hoc committee will be formed halfway through the contract to discuss potential changes to the salary structure in the next contract.

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