What has happened to District 39 Expenditures since the last referendum?
The last voter-approved referendum was in 1998.The District 39 budget for the 1998-99 school year was $26.8 million. The District’s current budget is $48.3 million, an increase of 80% over 12 years. There are several important factors: CPI averaged 2.6% during this time so $10.4 million – almost half this increase – is due to inflation. In 2003, the District began to offer medical benefits to staff. Last year, the District spent $3.6 million on these benefits, another 17% of the increase. The enrollment increase – 251 more students today than in 1998 – costs the District $3.4 million this year, or 16% of the increase. The remaining increase above the 1998-99 levels can be divided into two broad categories that combined account for 19% of the increase, or $4.1 million: Programs: reading intervention, differentiation for gifted students, English Language Learners, K-4 Spanish, and recovery from cuts made in 1997 before the last referendum. Competitive Salaries: Our teacher salaries put u
