The Most Recent Budget Vote

At the recent Minooka CCSD 201 school board meeting on September 24, the board considered the district's proposed FY 2015 budget (see here).  My thoughts regarding this proposed budget are detailed in a previous post (see here).  I made a motion to approve the budget with the following modifications: (1) the expenditures in the Education Fund be revised to match the projected revenue in that fund (still more than a $1 million increase from the previous year); (2) the expenditures in the Operations & Maintenance Fund be revised to match what they were in 2014 (still representing a more than $300,000 deficit); and (3) that the expenditures in the Tort Fund be revised to match the projected revenue in that fund.  Adopting a budget with these revisions would still have left the district in a position of deficit spending but would have represented a significant move in terms of controlling expenditures and reducing the deficit over time.  The motion "died for lack of a second."  Subsequently, it was moved and seconded that the proposed budget be approved as presented, and, after some discussion, the board voted to approve the proposed budget by a 4 to 2 vote (Hannon was absent).   Those voting "yes" were Skwarczynski, Clucas, Allen, and Satorius.  Those voting "no" were Crouch and Martin.