DUNLAP, Ill. (25 News) – Things got a little heated Wednesday night at the Dunlap School Board meeting over the future of district finances.
25 News reports the disagreement stems from the direction of overall finances, and whether the current board should take action to prevent problems caused by draining the district’s reserves, or let the next board make those decisions.
Superintendent Scott Dearman gave a financial presentation at a previous meeting, and he said Wednesday that he feels the financial direction of the district is “not sustainable.”
Board member Theresa Holshouser wants a financial committee to evaluate the financial situation and prevent future problems.
“I want to ensure that this district remains the district that it is,” she said.
Other board members questioned the purpose of such a committee, and wondered whether it was too soon to make cuts.
“I think where we would get a lot of push back from the constituents for either the expense side or the revenue side, is that we are not at a place where we need to be looking at cutting things,” Board President Tom Feldman said
Feldman said that if more board members approached him about a financial committee, he would be open to starting one.
After Wednesday night’s discussion, the board still voted unanimously to approve the intent to issue funding bonds of up to $44 million.
No one from the public spoke at Wednesday night’s meeting.
While it wasn’t mentioned at the meeting, a new elementary school building is planned, with a price tag of $44 million. The building is expected to open in August 2027.
Dunlap School District #323 is also in the process of building an $8.5 million indoor athletic training facility.
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