Question 7

District 219, along with its neighboring school districts in the northern suburbs, has one of the highest OEPPs (Operating Expense Per Pupil) in the state. Do you consider that to be a positive or negative attribute of D219? Explain.

Richard Evonitz -

I am deeply grateful for this community’s commitment to education through the property tax it pays. Having world-class schools is the cornerstone of any quality community, and our community is getting a lot of value for the money it pays. Still, I recognize that property taxes are high, so we need to be constantly vigilant in keeping expenses as low as possible.

Kathleen Weiss Boyle -

Having those resources is a definite positive, but budgeting and using those resources equitably and responsibly is vital. Otherwise, it is nothing but bloat and drain on taxpayers, and does a grave disservice to everyone in our community who hopes strives to live, learn, work, and grow here.

Elana Jacobs -

I consider the high OEPP budget as a positive attribute because I work in a school district that spends pennies on each student in the district. The more communities spend on education, the less money they will spend on crime. Niles Township is made up of several villages. People move to district 219 from other districts because the money is used for phenomenal special education programs/ partnerships, career and technical education, ELL parent center. As I drive by the high schools at night and day, there are always so many cars in the lot. The investment in school clubs helps with the social and emotional development and leadership skills, which can only happen with a high OEPP. The school acts as a multi generational community center which anchors the Niles Township community.

Ross Sawyers -

I believe that you cannot spend too much on education, however it is important to examine if these funds are being spent efficiently and equitably on all students. I think it is important to look at every dollar to ensure that all funds are directly benefitting students in the most responsible way.

Naema Abraham -

A high OEPP is positive when it is used equitably to close achievement gaps. Neighboring schools with a high OEPP have a narrower achievement gap than our district. We need to identify why our achievement gap is wider than our neighboring schools and take steps to fix it.

Irena Petryk -

I consider the Operating Expense Per Pupil (OEPP) of District 219 a positive attribute. Research has shown that student success requires investment. Specifically, a study by Professor Bruce Baker of the Rutgers Graduate School of Education found that, for low-income students, a 21.7% increase in per-pupil spending raised the graduation rate by 20 percentage points, “eliminat[ing] the education attainment gap between children from low-income and non-poor families.” A high OEPP demonstrates that District 219 is dedicated to obtaining positive student outcomes. It allows our schools to hire talented staff, maintain smaller class sizes, purchase necessary supplies and equipment, provide supplemental support, and create extracurricular opportunities for our students.

It is also important to note that, despite a high OEPP, District 219 maintains a balanced budget.

Joseph Nowik -

A high OEPP shows that the district is spending a large amount of tax resources on their students on a per capita basis. However, that single metric is incomplete.

Is the high OEPP sustainable? Does the district’s long term cash flow projections show that expenditures are exceeding revenue? This would be bad and would signal possible future tax increases and/or program cuts.

Is there a correlation between the high OEPP and student performance and growth? if there is not, perhaps the spending is not being utilized efficiently or correctly or there are other factors that need to be considered.

A good board member must evaluate the OEPP not just as a number that must be lowered at all costs, but needs to be evaluated along many other factors that influence if it is positive or a negative.