Committee recommends Baker Tilly to review school district budget
Posted By Jim Hagerty On February 21, 2011 @ 1:39 pm In Happening Now | 1 Comment
[1]By Jim Hagerty
Staff Writer
The panel of three ex-Rockford mayors appointed to head an independent audit of Rockford Public School District 205’s finances, recommended Baker Tilly, a Chicago-based consulting firm, to do the job. The recommendation was made at the fourth meeting of the Budget Review Consultant Selection Committee, Monday, Feb 21.
While Baker Tilly has no prior association with the school district or Rockford Education Association (REA), the local teachers union, it has been commissioned by the Rockford City Council in the recent past.
Last fall, the firm was hired to make a series of outsourcing recommendations to help officials close the city’s budget gap. Aldermen have been considering many of the recommendations for the past two months.
The firm will be assisted by City of Rockford Finance Director Andres Sammul.
The Budget Review Consultant Selection Committee, composed of former mayors, Doug Scott, Charles Box and John McNamara, also moved to change its deadline to complete the review from Tuesday, Feb. 22 to Monday, Feb. 28. That request must be voted on and approved by the school board.
The Rockford Board of Education meets Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
The review of the district’s budget numbers was requested by the teachers union, which claimed the $50 million hole reported by administrators is incorrect. It claims the budget is approximately $15 million.
If the union is right, reps say much of Superintendent Dr. LaVonne M. Sheffield’s $45 million budget-cutting plan, which includes closing eight schools, will not be necessary.
The REA has agreed to pay up to $50,000 for the review. It initially requested that an auditor examine the district’s 2011 budget and projections for next year. However, the panel said, it would only focus on three areas: benefits, general state aid revenue and corporate replacement taxes.
The committee said reviewing fiscal 2011 numbers would not make sense, as there are still four months left in the year and some budget projections have yet to be made.
The panel’s progress in completing the review expected to be announced by next Monday.
The Rockford Board of Education meets every Tuesday at the District 205 Administration Building, 201 S. Madison St. Meetings are open to the public.
Article printed from The Rock River Times: http://rockrivertimes.com
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