Riverside-Brookfield High School officials will hold an open meeting in the Little Theater on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. to discuss the financial situation the school faces as it prepares to seek a tax increase in a referendum next spring.
“The purpose of the meeting will be to review budget projections for the 2011-12 and the 2012-13 fiscal years and program reductions that would be necessary if an April 5, 2011 referendum is unsuccessful,” says a press release issued by RB announcing the meeting.
At the meeting district officials will outline program cuts that would be necessary if the referendum is defeated in April.
“The programmatic impact will certainly be talked about,” said District 208 Interim Superintendent David Bonnette.
Last week, the District 208 school board met in closed session as a committee of the whole and reviewed possible cuts that would be necessary if the referendum fails.
Bonnette, RB Principal Pamela Bylsma, District 208 Business Manager Chris Whelton and Elizabeth Hennessy, the district’s financial advisor, are all expected to speak at the meeting.
The precise amount of money that RB will be asking for in the referendum will not be disclosed Monday, but a ballpark figure may be available.
The board is expected to formally vote to put a referendum question on the April ballot at either its Nov. 9 or Dec. 14 meeting. At that time the board will vote to ask for a specific increase in the tax rate.
Bonnette said Monday that the board is still waiting for confirmation of the final equalized assessed valuation (EAV) of all the property within District 208 before settling on a final amount.
One purpose of the Nov. 1 meeting is to give parents and community members a chance to speak before final decisions are made.
“We want to give people an opportunity to have some input before this is finalized,” Bonnette said.