Oswego School District 308 Looking For Cost-Saving Suggestions

OSWEGO, IL — Staring down a fiscal cliff, School District 308 in Oswego is asking for input from parents, students, staff and community members as it looks for ways to cut about $3.5 million from next year's budget.

"As you’ve likely heard, our district continues to face economic challenges," said Superintendent John Sparlin in an email dated December 14. "Over the last few years, we’ve been faced with difficult decisions, making cuts that have affected every department in the district. Under our Board of Education’s direction, cuts with the least impact on our students were made. As this process continues, it becomes difficult to find additional ways of reducing costs without affecting the student experience."

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Sparlin said a list of cost-saving measures was presented for review at the last board of education meeting. Based on feedback from parents, students and staff, the board will not vote on budget cuts this year.

"Rather, we will spend additional time gathering input and feedback, with the hope that we have a more favorable solution for the board to discuss at the January 14 meeting."

A decision won't come before the board's January 28 meeting, officials said.

"Our district delivers an extraordinary educational experience to students, with many class options, award-winning fine arts and sports programs, and a variety of extra-curricular activities," Sparlin said. "We are reaching out to you, our parents, students, staff, and community, in a collaborative effort to generate additional ideas in order to help preserve these experiences and programs for our students."

The district said a host of suggestions submitted last year made a positive impact on the current budget. The board of education read each one and implemented many. But the school is still facing a multi-million dollar shortfall.

If you would like to submit constructive feedback of possible solutions to the school's budget crisis, visit www.sd308.org/budgetreduction. Officials say they hope to save money while impacting students as little as possible.

"This is a difficult time, yet we are committed to remaining a top rated school system, preparing our students for a successful future," Sparlin said in conclusion. "The achievements of our students, in all areas of our district, continue to garner state and national recognition. Working together, we can develop a solution to our financial challenges, one that ensures a stable future for our schools, so we can keep our focus on delivering a high quality educational experience to our students."

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