CAT Tracks for January 30, 2003 THE CAIRO CITIZEN REPORT ON BOE MEETING

A reporter for The Cairo Citizen covered the January 23rd Special Meeting of the Cairo Board of Education.

Here is a more detailed report of a story previously appearing in CAT Tracks...

School Board seeks voluntary state help in resolving financial crisis

The Cairo School District No. 1 Board of Education voted to voluntarily request a Financial Oversight Panel from the Illinois State Board of Education.

The decision came after much deliberation and board members voicing concerns that a Financial Oversight Panel will hurt the education of the students in the district.

The Financial Oversight Panel will have the authority to demand cuts and put those cuts into place if the board chooses not to enact cuts, according to School Superintendent Dr. Robert Isom.

"All financial matters will have to be approved by the panel," Isom told the board. "We are at a point where we need money, but that money doesn't come without strings."

The goal of the panel is to put the district back on solid financial standing. "The panel will ensure we put together a plan and enact that plan to get the district back on its financial feet," said Board President Joe Griggs.

With the panel comes emergency financial assistance, according to Isom. Board members speculated that the district could also receive $1.1 million but there is no guarantee.

"This is not a matter of giving up or throwing our hands in the air," Isom said. "We will still be required to make the hard choices and do the right thing.

"The district has been in bad shape for several years," he said. "We've cut, borrowed and did things necessary to keep the district afloat. We need. to realize we need help – by invitation or by demand." After the panel is in place, the district will be required to produce a balanced budget and live within that budget, according to district officials.

"Many may say this will hurt the kids and in some ways it will," Isom said. "But if the district goes belly-up financially, the kids will definitely be hurt. The panels in East St. Louis and Livingston didn't neglect the educational needs of the students."

The Cairo School District is close to its borrowing limit according to Griggs. "How much more damage are we going to do without the panel?" he asked his fellow board members.

Following Isom's recommendation to voluntarily request the panel, the board unanimously voted to approve the request.

The panel will be in place for a minimum of three years and a maximum of up to 10 years, according to Isom.

In other business, the board took no action on expending savings in the plumbing renovations at the high school. Isom suggested any savings should be used to update the science lab instead of installing air conditioning in the kitchen. The contract savings is estimated at $53,000.