Steve Ptacek says District 117 in good financial shape despite COVID

By Gary Scott on January 22, 2021 at 9:31am

The impact of COVID on Jacksonville school district 117 finances is being felt, but the board anticipated this.

     Numbers presented last night indicate the school district has spent about 46-percent of the education fund more than halfway through the school year.

     Jacksonville school superintendent Steve Ptacek says some of this was anticipated.

      He says the school district is spending less than a percentage of what was in the budget. It includes COVID money. He says the school district will lose fund balance money.

     Ptacek says the district has been saving for a rainy day out of necessity.

       He says some money was set aside for the Washington School project but that money will more than likely help shore up the education fund balance over the next couple of years. The school district can’t borrow money because there was no debt when the cap was put into place years ago.

     Ptacek is NOT counting on additional COVID emergency funding from the federal government, until it actually happens.