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mokenamessenger.com news
the Mokena Messenger | January 17, 2019 | 3
LW D210 admin: ‘District is on road to financial recovery’
Annual State
of the District
highlights schools’
achievements
Megan Schuller
Assistant Editor
Lincoln-Way Community
High School District 210
held its second annual State
of the District presentation
on Thursday, Jan. 10, before
a room of community members.
“It’s no secret that Lincoln-Way
has faced its share
of challenges in the last several
years,” Superintendent
Scott Tingley said. “The
financial condition of the
district threatened to impact
the opportunities provided to
our students.”
Assistant Superintendent
of Business Brad Cauffman
spoke to the state of the districts
finances, saying that
after several years of deficit
spending the district is “on
the road to financial recovery.”
“By 2017 we were able
to have our fist surplus in
some time of $4.8 million,
[of which] $2.9 million was
from normal operations and
$1.9 million was from land
sales,” Cauffman said. “In
fiscal year ’18 we were able
to achieve a surplus of $7.6
million. This year the board
approved a balanced budget
with a $47,000 surplus;
however, within this budget
there is $3.6 million dedicated
to spending on one-time
capital.”
Another way the district
measures its financial health
is by measuring the operating
fund balance compared
to current operating expenditures.
According to Cauffman,
in FY16 the fund balance
to expenditure balance
was in the negative by 5.96
percent. This prompted the
Board of Education to set a
goal to achieve a 33-percent
operating fund balance to
expenditure balance by “no
later then 2026.”
“By achieving this goal
the district will increase its
financial health, bond rating
and eliminate the need
for cash flow borrowing,”
Cauffman said. “To achieve
this goal, the Board of Education
adopted an implementation
plan that requires
the district to run a 3-percent
operating surplus each year.”
Where the surplus is going
In the coming years, the
district also plans to invest
into several capital projects
that have been put off for
several years.
“The district has gone
about eight years without
addressing the capital needs
both of roofing and repaving,”
Tingley said. “As our
finances have begun to stabilize,
we have been able
to begin to address these issues.
We have a 10-year plan
in place to continue to monitor
and update our capital
projects.”
Recently completed capital
projects include a roof
restoration at Central and
East. Additionally, pavement
resurfacing, tennis court replacement
and new bleachers
have been completed at
East.
A few projects that take
priority next are: new security
cameras in all three high
schools; pavement resurfacing
and tennis court repair
at Central; stadium turf replacement,
and a door hardware
and lock replacement
on all classroom doors at
Central and East.
Tingley said that the door
hardware and lock replacement
would allow for teachers,
in the event of an active
shooter situation, to grab
students in the hallway, pull
them into a classroom or
other room that is nearest to
them and lock the door.
Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 Superintendent Scott Tingley addresses
the audience at the district’s second annual State of the District presentation Thursday,
Jan. 10. District administrators lauded the area schools’ financial improvement and
student academic success,among other achievements. Julie McMann/22nd Century Media
Tingley said that in the
interest of student safety
the district has implemented
new security procedures at
Lincoln-Way Central, East
and West.
“Never did I think when
I entered the profession
of education 26 years ago
that each and every morning
would begin with the
thought of that first priority
being the safety and security
— the physical security of
our students and staff,” Tingley
said. “Times have certainly
changed. It used to be
that schools were the safest
place for students to be.”
The district added security
measures, such as programed
access cards and buzzers at
the entrances, monitored student
entrances in the morning
and afternoon, panic buttons
in every classroom, a
anonymous bullying reporting
tool, and a five-scenario
active shooter drill in cooperation
with Will County
Sheriffs’ deputies.
The district is looking to
also invest in technology and
tablets in the coming years.
The details are expected to
be brought before the board
in February, but D210 is
could possibly purchase
1,700 tablets and is pursing
a goal of 1:1 student to tablet
ratio down the road.
Student success
A continued drop in enrollment
is expected in the
coming years, but Tingley
said enrollment will remain
steady enough to remain a
three-high-school district.
“In the last eight years enrollment
has dropped by 434
students,” Tingley said. “We
will see probably in the ballpark
of another 100 student
drop for this next year. ...We
can function efficiently and
effectively with three high
schools and 6,000 students.”
D210 also highlighted that
the three high schools received
“exemplary status,”
which means each was in
the Top 10 percent of high
schools in Illinois according
to a number of indicators,
including no underperforming
subgroups and a graduation
rate of greater than 67
percent.
As far a student success
and graduation rate, Director
of Data, Assessment and Innovation
Brian Murphy said
that each of the district’s
schools are above the state
average of 85.4 percent.
West was tops with a 98.3
percent graduation rate, followed
by Central at 97.5 and
East at 97 percent, according
to Illinois State Board
of Education’s 2018 Illinois
School Report Card data.
Tingley also took a moment
to recognize student
extra-curricular achievement
of the three high school football
teams, which each made
the Illinois High School
Association playoffs, and
the Lincoln-Way Marching
Band, which preformed at
the Rose Parade earlier this
month.
Tingley ended the presentation
by noting that the
current and future success of
Lincoln-Way is a group effort,
and that while he thinks
the district is in a good place,
there’s always room for improvement.
“We’re not satisfied where
we are, we will continue to
work to get better,” Tingley
said. “During these difficult
financial times the focus
continued to be on providing
opportunities for our students.
As our finances have
stabilized we have been able
to reinvest in capital; however,
more importantly, we
have been able to invest in
technology and curriculum,
which has led to improved
instruction.”
Tingley said the district
will continue to keep the
community updated on the
district’s financial condition
and testing results.
“We will continue to update
the community on
financials and report on
student achievement in standardized
testing to see how
we compare with other districts,”
Tingley said. “It’s
important for the community
to see what their tax dollars
are going to.”
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