The same night as a Mokena School District 159 meeting on increasing fees to decrease the district’s $2 million deficit, Gov. Pat Quinn addressed legislators, asking them to pass a $55 billion state budget. Quinn’s plan includes a 1 percent increase in income taxes to save $1.2 billion in school district cuts and stop the estimated cuts of 17,000 teaching jobs.

“It’s not a surprise, but it’s not good for Mokena,” said District 159 Superintendent Karen Perry.

Assistant Superintendent of Business Jim Connelly said at a March 10 District 159 meeting, the state of Illinois is behind on paying the district back to October and he expects the lack of payments to continue.

District 159, which serves three schools of kindergarten through 8th graders, may cut 15-and-a-half teaching positions and eliminate extracurricular activities.

The school district attempted to stave off the budget deficit with a referendum to increase homeowners’ school taxes by $400 to $560, depending on the values of homes, but the referendum was voted down at the Feb. 2 election.

Community members continue to speak both for and against the district’s cost-cutting process. The district has held workshop meetings to include the public on the budget crisis, drawing as many as 250 participants. Meanwhile, a grassroots group widely opposed to the district’s decision making process started a Web site, www.keepthetradition.com .

Tom Nolan, a Mokena resident and parent of children who went through the Mokena school district commended the District 159 staff and board member actions up to date at a Mach 10 board meeting.

“I lived in Mokena for 20 years, my children are now at Lincoln Way East, and I would attribute their success to their success at Mokena schools,” Nolan said. “This has been a rough year for us both—my wife and I lost our jobs, but we still voted for the referendum. Looking at the last 20 years in Mokena, there has been a lack of commercial development. That onus goes back to the village and people of Mokena who have sometimes opposed commercial development. I think we’re also seeing the state is not going to bail us out either.”

Kindergarten days shortened
As part of the continued cuts, the school board has been discussing how it will change its kindergarten classes from full day to half-day classes next school year.

At the March 10 regular board meeting, school board member John Troy asked SuperintendentKaren Perry about how she will determine which students go to the a.m. and p.m. classes.

“It’s a flip of a coin,” Perry said, adding there’s no way to make everyone happy with the change.

As far as getting to school and home, said Perry, “The morning students will be picked up at stops and dropped off at homes, because there is not a bus stop. In the afternoons, the students will be picked up at homes, and at the end of the day, they will take regular bus routes.”

Raising fees

The school board is discussing raising the general school fees for 1st through 8th graders by $50 per student, which would increase the fees to $165.

“Our tax rate is so low compared to those (neighboring communities), the key to that is $165 is a better deal,” Troy said. “I think we should look at bringing it higher. New Lenox is up there at $280.”

Board President Tim King agreed with Troy, but Board Member Denise Falbo said upping the fees by 58 percent is a dramatic increase.

“It’s a revenue source we can have control over,” Troy said. “We have to get revenue somewhere.”

Falbo continued her argument, stating New Lenox has been charging higher fees for several years, whereas the board shouldn’t jump the fees dramatically.

“Some families have a lot of children,” Falbo said. “That would be a lot of money for them to have to pay.”

Perry noted that many other school districts offer reduced rates to families with multiple children.

The school board is also considering raising classroom usage fees from $35 per night or session to $35 per hour and $70 per hour on Sundays to cover overtime costs.

No action was taken on the fees or kindergarten classes at the March 10 meeting.

In other news
-The school board also discussed asbestos abatement plan. Carpets glued on asbestos tile in the kindergarten and special education classrooms at the Mokena Elementary School will be replaced in June, said Connelly.

- District 159 staff spent 37.5 hours in fulfilling six Freedom of Information Act requests within the last month, said Perry.

The next Mokena District 159 School Board is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 16 at Mokena Elementary School, 11244 Willowcrest Lane.

For more information, go to the district’s Web site at www.mokena159.com.

—By Amy Alderman, Triblocal.com reporter