Board News - School World

Board of Education
Bob Rzeszutko, President
Janine Kiwiet, Vice-President
Mare Chiaro, Secretary
Melissa Christie, Member
Katie Fujiura, Member
Debbie Gaspari, Member
Iranell Spann, Member
Robert M. Carlo, Superintendent
Megan Stoltz, Chief School Business Official
Board Approves 2013 Tax
Year Levy Request (2014
Tax Bill)
District #61 Board of Education
Board News
News from the Tues., Dec. 10, 2013 Regular Board Meeting
The Board voted 5-1 (Christie absent) to adopt the tax levy for the year
2013. Members voting for the levy: Chiaro, Fujiura, Kiwiet, Rzeszutko, Spann.
Member voting against: Gaspari. The vote was taken after a public hearing.
There were no questions or comments from the audience.
The tax levy, or amount of money that can be collected through property taxes, is
strictly regulated under the requirements of the Property Tax Extension
Limitation Law – commonly known as the “Tax Cap.” Per this legislation the
levy increase will be limited to 5% or the Consumer Price Index (C.P.I.),
whichever is lower. The C.P.I. for the 2013 tax year is 1.7%, therefore the
District levies are expected to increase by at least this percentage. The Tax Cap
does not apply to any new construction values. New construction is exempt from
the tax cap for its first year on the tax rolls.
District #61 will receive the actual tax levy in late March or early April, 2014.
Tax bills for 2014 will reflect this final levy figure. The County Clerk ensures
that the final levy amount reflects compliance with the Tax Cap legislation.
Board Receives the
FY2013 Annual Financial
Report and Audit
Mr. Dave Knutte with Knutte & Associates, P.C. presented District #61’s
Audit Report and Annual Financial Report for the year ending
June 30, 2013. No qualifications (concerns) were found with our internal
controls. Overall, Mr. Knutte stated the District is in good financial health.
This financial report is designed to provide the District’s citizens, taxpayers, and
creditors with a general overview of the District’s finances and to demonstrate
the District’s accountability for the money it receives. Financial highlights
include:
As of June 30, 2013, District # 61 again received an Illinois School
Board of Education rating of Financial Recognition.
Interest income increased compared to FY12. Over the past year, the
District worked with Republic Bank and PMA Financial to obtain the
best rates possible.
General revenues accounted for $14,803,960 in revenue or 73% of all
revenue. Program specific revenues in the form of charges for services
and fees and grants accounted for $5,400,286 or 27% of total revenues
of $20,204,246.
The District had $20,033,865 in expenses related to government
activities.
During the FY13 school year, District #61 completed a roof tear off and
replacement project at Lace School totaling $814, 200 and a gym
remodel project at Eisenhower Junior High totaling $218,018. The
majority of these expenses were charged to the FY13 Operation and
Maintenance Fund and funded through an inter-fund transfer of
$815,000 from the Education to the Operations and Maintenance Fund.
The Audit Report and Annual Financial Report is available for review in
the Superintendent’s Office.
Board Recognizes
Eisenhower Junior High
Science and Math
Competitors
The Board welcomed members of the Eisenhower Junior High School (EJH)
Science and Math teams who participated in recent tournaments.
The Science team won 2nd Place at the 37th Annual Fenwick Science Contest
- missing out on 1st Place by two points - and was the top public school at
the competition. The following seventh and eighth graders competed: Dimitar
Ivanov (1st Place overall), Nandini Sadagopon (6th Place), Easa Aristizabal
(14th Place), Sarah Salvato (20th Place), Gina Guagliardo, Greg Fernandes,
Cherilyn Mendoza, Donna Stevens, Tessa Lawler, Shannon Ferguson, Miriam
Arroyo, Jennalyn Mendiola, Elizabeth Lowery, Brett Haffner, Matthew Krauter,
John Serry, Ugonna Nwakudu, Alana Waterman, Abby Mikuta, and Hania
Diggory.
In the 36th Annual St. Lawrence Math competition on Nov. 2, the EJH Team
took 2nd Place. Team members were Olga Giza, Samuel Krauter, Brett
Haffner, and Jerry Jiang. Other particpants were: Tessa Lawler, Shannon
Ferguson, Matthew Krauter, Jerry Chen, Kushal Shah, Alana Waterman, Donna
Stevens, and Simona Risteska.
In the 37th Annual Montini Math competition on November 9, the Seventh
Grade team champed and the sixth grade team took third place overall.
Seventh grade team members included: Jerry Chen (tied for 1st place
individual), Jerry Jiang (tied for 1st Place Individual), Olga Giza (5th overall),
Baneet Chawla and Greg Fernandes.
6th Grade team members included: Samuel Krauter (1st Place overall),
Canyon Stage (6th Place), Kushal Shah (6th Place), Zachary Krauter, and Erin
Adams.
The 8th Grade Division team members included: Brett Haffner (4th Place),
Tessa Lawler(9th Place), Bobby Smid, Matthew Krauter, and Shannon Ferguson.
Congratulations to all of our dedicated students and their coaches Mrs.
Perisin (science) and Ms. Manescalchi (math).
Among Other Business…
Scheduled Meetings
Among other business, the District #61 Board of Education:
♦ heard an update from band liaison Louis Ebert on recent EJH
activities including:
o December 11 - Winter Band Concert, 7 P.M.
o December 17 - EJH Chorus Concert, 7 P.M.
o January 9 - Downers Grove South High School Jazz
Performance
o January 15 - Hinsdale South High School Jazz Fest
Café
The following meetings have been scheduled. Please check with the District
Office at 630/968-7505 or visit the District #61 website at www.darien61.org
for any possible changes.
Regular Board of Education Meeting
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
7 pm at Lace
Past Board News and Minutes of past Board Meetings are available on the District website.
District #61 Board of Education 7414 Cass Avenue Darien, IL 60561 630.968-7505 www.darien61.org

Download Report