D46 Board Eliminates Media Assistants, Saves Art and Music

After hearing impassioned pleas from parents and students alike during a two-hour public comment session at Wednesday night's meeting, the Grayslake District 46 Board voted on a series of budget cuts aimed at eliminating a $790,000 deficit.

By the end of the more than four-hour meeting, the board had voted against reducing or eliminating art and music, and had agreed to keep the Spanish program for this year's 7th-graders when they are in 8th grade next year.

The board also voted against eliminating 10 assistants, and they agreed to table a vote on the potential elimination of after-school activities. The board also voted against abating the $484,000 levy increase and the $1.17 million left over from the 1999 bond.

Other budget cuts were approved, including:

• One full-time educator reduction-in-force;
• Elimination of .5 physical education teacher at Frederick;
• The elimination of five media assistants; and
• The elimination of one special education assistant.

A standing-room-only crowd filled the Grayslake Middle School multi-purpose room to share their thoughts about the proposed cuts. Many parents asked the board to save the Spanish program for this year's 7th-graders.

"It is very important," one parent said of the program. She noted that the students would only be able to get credit for a full year of Spanish when they get to high school if they took two years of Spanish in middle school. Eliminating the program completely, she said, would "be a travesty."

Many parents begged the board to keep art and music in the schools. One parent talked about her autistic son, describing how playing trombone in the school band has improved his skills and his concentration.

"We need our special education people and we need our music department," the parent said.

A large group of students representing District 46 and Grayslake Community High School District 127 spoke to the board, asking that programs like art, music and drama be maintained. Some students wiped away tears as they described the impact the programs have had on their lives. One Grayslake North student said she had even collected 800 signatures in one day on a petition to convince District 46 to keep the programs.

"The only reason I'm here most days is because of music and choir and the arts," one student said. "Please don't cut it—these kids need something."

"I'm sure there are so many people who have been saved by art and music and theater," said Grayslake Central junior Maria Requena.

Regarding the after-school activities issue that was tabled, Superintendent Ellen Correll said she wants more time to examine what can be done. She said programs like plays and musicals are offered at no cost to the district due to ticket sales, but sports costs the district about $100,000 a year.

Board President Ray Millington said he is against eliminating after-school activities. He said the board is trying to make cuts "while maintaining the quality of education here in Grayslake.

"We're starting to get into things now … where we're really starting to hit that quality of education," said Millington.

Board Vice President Keith Surroz, however, reminded the board that not making cuts will result in deficit spending.

"I would like to keep everything on the list," he said. "We can have these things … but do you want to deficit spend? If you want to deficit spend … this gets easy."

The board also plans to revisit the possibility of raising registration fees, a measure that was previously rejected by the board.