Dist. 67 Makes Cuts; Parents Say Raise Fees

With one vote, the Golf School District 67 board reduced kindergarten to a half-day program, eliminated its library and STEM programs, reduced art and music instruction, eliminated seven employees' jobs and made other cuts Thursday at its meeting.

The board had earlier said it would make those cuts if the two referendum questions it placed on the March ballot didn't pass, and both were defeated. After some deliberation about not wanting to hurt financially struggling families, board members voted to raise school fees by $10 annually.

Many of the approximately 20 parents at the meeting told the board members they were concerned about their children's education. Some asked them to consider raising school fees to much higher levels, apply for more grants and consider starting a non-profit organization parents could donate to, in exchange for lengthening the kindergarten day.

Earlier:

"The fees definitely need to go up," said Nicoleta Crisan, who identified herself as the parent of a young child entering school. "A majority of families are willing to pay the fee. My daughter goes to preschool, you pay the fee. When she goes to sports, you pay the fee."

Board president Meryl Gale thanked parents and those in the audience for the comments and said the board would take their suggestions into consideration. But she also indicated board members were trying to deal with a difficult financial situation.

"The reality is that our referendums failed," she said. 

Parents, who sat through a three-hour meeting and huddled in the hallway when the board went into closed session, told the board many parents were able to pay more in fees, and those fees could subsidize the obligation of parents who could not afford the fees.

"Let’s not just take the programs away from the kids, let’s think of a way to fund it," said parent Liz Frake. 

Bashar Jazrawi, a parent, said he was disappointed in the cuts, including the fact that music and art programs will be reduced. He noted Niles West High School received an award for the best high school fine art program in the nation, yet the children will arrive in District 219 ill-prepared if their arts instruction was slashed at District 67, he said.

Another parent, Mary Cunningham, urged the district to look into a program at a Chicago school, in which the school established a non-profit foundation to accept donations. 

The cuts the district made are:

1. Reducing full-day kindergarten to half-day.
2. Eliminating the STEM program (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) at Golf Middle School.
3. Eliminating the library/media program at both Hynes Elementary and Golf Middle Schools.
4. Eliminating the part-time reading specialist at Hynes Elementary.
5. Eliminating the part-time Response to Intervention (RtI) reading support program at Golf Middle School.
6. Reducing the art program to a half day.
7. Reducing the music program by .5 FTE (full time equivalent personnel)
8. Eliminating early and late bus runs.
9. Eliminating the facilities manager position.
10. Eliminating one custodian position.
11. Eliminating three aide positions.
12. Freezing salaries for staff and administrators.

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