SOUTHWORDS
December 1982
Budget may be hit by legislation
Twenty-six percent of the taxpayers' money goes to fund the budget of District 207. These dollars make up 78 percent of the needed funds. The other 22 percent comes in the form of grants, federal and state (the largest in state aid and is based upon the number of students attending school).
The total funds are then divided into seven different areas of the budget. The first is labeled educational and is allotted 70 percent of the funds. This money goes to pay teachers' and administrators' salaries, summer school and various other areas needed for educating a student.
The second area is Operation, Building Maintenance and receives 13 percent of the funds. This money is used to maintain the schools and pay the salaries of the custodians.
The third area is the Bond and Interest Fund. This money goes to pay bills from the building of the schools in the district.
Transportation is next and pays for the transport of many things: students, supplies and equipment.
The fifth area is the Illinois municipal retirement act. This money is set aside to pay retirement costs for nonprofessional school workers.
The sixth area is health and life safety and goes to pay for student safety. These safety precautions include fire alarms, disaster drills, and anything else vital to student safety.
The seventh area in the budget is liability insurance and defends a teacher if he or she were to be sued.
Presently there is a bill before the Senate which would eliminate the tax multiplier. This would decrease the district's budget by more than a third. According to Mr. Donald Kenney, Assistant Supervisor of Business, District 207, having to drastically cut the budget would be very hard and they are not certain where to begin if the legislation is passed.
There are several taxpayers who would be extremely happy with the reduction of taxes. Senior citizens and young parents without children do not want to pay taxes for schools they do not personally need. However, parents with children in the district will not want the tax decrease if they realized their children's education might be affected.