From My Puppy Pulpit

Bongo is still wagging his tail about the positive press District 158 has been receiving lately, and keeps thinking back to the Northwest Herald article from last week (State Lauds D-158).

As nice as it was that Board Vice President and C.P.A. Tony Quagliano credited the passage of the 2004 referendum for being a key reason why the district is on such sound financial ground, there are additional kudos to be given.

First of all, a lot of credit goes to Quagliano himself, but he’s too much of a gentleman to pat himself on the back. It was Quagliano and board member Mike Skala who worked tirelessly on the heels of the successful referendum, to make sure Illinois law changed so that taxpayers were not charged more in taxes than what they agreed to. Both Quagliano and Skala worked very closely with State Representative Mike Tryon to get this new law passed which protects the tax payers.

Secondly, credit is also owed to the board and the administration’s conservative spending practices. When money comes in, the natural tendency is to spend it. Much like your home budget, isn’t it amazing that no matter how much money you make, you always manage to spend it all? Well that is not happening in District 158. They have adopted a conservative spending philosophy and are sticking to it. There is no “fluff” in the list of new hires each year, and the administration continues to be very lean to the point where District 158 continues to have one of the lowest administrator-to-pupil ratios in Illinois.

Another example of this conservative spending philosophy can be seen in the current budget. When the budget was created, an anticipated $400 per pupil increase in the foundation level from the state was included in the revenue side of the budget, even though the legislators had not yet approved the increase. At the same time, since the money had not been approved, it was NOT tapped on the expenditure side of the budget. When the money was finally approved and school districts all over were amending their expenditures to use the funds, District 158 did not adjust their expenditures. That money went straight into the bank.

Thirdly, Bongo would be remiss if he did not give some credit to former comptroller Stacie Talbert. While not directly responsible for the financial state of the district (she resigned after less than a year thanks to two of the board members), the fact that she reorganized the fiscal office and put procedures in place to improve internal controls will help District 158 maintain these good practices well into the future.

Lastly, Bongo must give some credit to Dr. Burkey, who has been a major contributor to creating the district’s last few budgets. He has practiced what he has preached with regard to being conservative with spending, and while this makes him sometimes unpopular with the many individuals who want new money allocated for their programs/salaries, his hard line on spending philosophy is absolutely in the best interest of the taxpayers. Dr. Burkey walks a very fine line between balancing what the students need and what is fair to the taxpayers, and stories like the ones Bongo has been reading lately are a testament that the district is on the right track.