www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1281764,6_1_NA16_NAHC_S1.article
School leaders discuss achievements, challenges at homeowners meetingNovember 16, 2008
By Hank Beckman Special to The Sun
One Naperville school district is adding students, the other's growth remains flat and they're both in pretty decent financial condition.
Superintendents of Naperville Community Unit District 203 and Indian Prairie School District 204 addressed the monthly meeting of the Naperville Area Homeowners Confederation on Saturday, giving an overview of their districts' priorities and achievements.
"The year 2008 saw more National Merit semifinalists than ever before," said Dr. Alan Leis, District 203 superintendent. "And we had the highest ACT scores ever ... 92 percent of our students exceeded state expectations."
Dr. Stephen Daeschner reported similar results for District 204, saying that "93 percent of students were outperforming state averages."
But challenges remain for both districts, including long-term financing for District 203, construction of new facilities and serving an increasingly diverse student body.
While the growth rate in District 203 has remained flat, students with limited English language skills have doubled and the number receiving free or reduced lunch has tripled.
District 204 has seen a similar trend, with 24 percent of students coming from a home with a language other than English and 6.3 percent receiving free or reduced lunch. And District 204 has grown to be the third-largest school district in the state.
While no new tax referendums are in District 204 plans for at least two years, District 203 projects that expenses will start to exceed revenues by about 2013.
"The average rate of increase (for District 203's portion of the property taxes) will be 4.1 percent," District 203 Superintendent of Finance Dave Zager said, after explaining how the Illinois tax law limits increases to the lower of 5 percent or the Consumer Price Index (4.1 percent for 2008).
Zager stressed that an individual property owner's rate of increase will be determined by the property's annual assessment.
After the presentations, both took anonymous questions from the audience.
Daeschner was asked about progress on the district's new Metea Valley High School.
"We're not behind on anything," Daeschner said, promising it "will be one of the best high schools in all the Chicago suburbs."
Freshmen and sophomores will begin attending the Eola Road campus in August 2009, with juniors following in 2010 and seniors in 2011.
Daeschner also promised that all staff needed for the new facility is already accounted for in the district's budget.
Someone asked why District 204 high school test scores were lower than K though 8 and Daeschner responded that they were ranked on a different scale.
Another question put to both men concerned planning for decreasing revenues in the event of declining real estate assessments.
"We're evaluating it, but don't expect a dramatic decrease (in revenues)," said D204 Assistant Superintendent for Business David Holm.
Holm said that, with $40 million in revenue coming to the district from the state, he was more worried about the state's inability to agree on expenditures.
Zager said property tax revenues could come down, but agreed with Holm that the threat of declining funding from the state was a bigger worry.