Doing the Math Adds Up for Harvey School District 152
Doing the Math Adds Up for Harvey School District 152
According to Dr. Kevin J. Nohelty,the Assistant Superintendent for Business Operations and Human Relations for Harvey Public Schools, District 152 exceeded ISBE targets in all financial management categories due largely to its investment in technology, staff and “across-the-board” cooperation.
As a result, Nohelty says, children in the Harvey School District, which includes pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, “graduate fully-prepared to succeed at the high school level and beyond.”
“Clearly, technology has had a top priority in our school district,” Nohelty says. “But we also invest in the professional development of our staff, including teachers, so they can use the technology to its fullest potential. The District has put what I would call topnotch technology in our classrooms.” It installed Smart Board’s, expanded the wireless network throughout the school campuses, upgraded more than 250 computers and purchased iPads for students to use as hands-on learning devices, according to information from the District.
In addition to technology, Nohelty says investment in teachers, “paraprofessionals” and administrators is another big reason District 152 schools perform well. “Eighty percent of our budget is devoted to salaries and benefits, he said. ”We invest in human capital. It is so important that we provide resources for our professional teaching staff so they can deliver topnotch education to our students.”
Cooperation between the Harvey School Board, school administrators, teachers and other professionals is another key to District 152’s ability to remain solvent and effective in educating its students, according to Nohelty. “It’s a collaborative effort. And not just between the board and administration but also the unions that we work with, SEIU (Service Employees International Union) and subsidiaries of the NEA (National Educators Association) as well as our non-union employees.
All of Harvey School Districts success and achievements relate back to its commitment to sound fiscal management, says Nohelty. For each of the last ten years, District 152 has met a high standard in each of the five areas of financial management measured by ISBE—Fund Balance to Revenue; Expenditure to Revenue; Days Cash on Hand; Percent of Short-Term Borrowing; and Long-Term Debt Margin, receiving an overall financial profile rating of 3.65 out of 4.0 to achieve what ISBE calls “Recognition” status.
“Given the fragile state of the economy, the financial outlook of the District remains on solid ground. All of this can be attributed to a collaborative effort between the Board of Education and the Administration in developing annual budgets that are balanced, yet fiscally conservative meeting the demands of the dynamic educational programs the District offers. Through strong fiscal policy, the long-term financial plan maintains healthy fund balances that will support an educational environment for our students that is nothing but exceptional,” Nohelty said.
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