School District 54 will highlight its fine arts program during the annual Schaumburg Septemberfest celebration on Labor Day weekend. District 54 student musicians will perform on the Daily Herald Stage Saturday through Monday.

Saturday, Sept. 3

• Combined Eighth-Grade Orchestra:  2:30 p.m.
• Keller Junior High School Eighth-Grade Band:  3:15 p.m.
• Mead Junior High School Eighth-Grade Band:  4 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 4

• Addams Junior High School Eighth-Grade Band:  1:30 p.m.
• Frost Junior High School Eighth-Grade Band:  2:30 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 5

• Dooley’s Early Instrumental Music students:  2:30 p.m.

Also the District 54 School Board and Special Olympics team will participate in the Septemberfest parade, which starts at 10 a.m. at Hartford Drive and moves north on Summit Drive to Stockport Lane.

The District 54 School Board approved its 2011-12 budget at its August 11, 2011, meeting.

District 54 expects to spend $217,979,108 during the 2011-12 budget year and receive $209,334,501 in revenues. The District 54 operating funds – defined as the education, operations and maintenance, transportation and working cash funds – have projected revenues of $192,993,451 and expenditures of $192,860,993.

Rather than issuing new debt to cover current capital expenses, the District 54 School Board has elected to use operating revenue and accumulated reserves to fund capital expenses. District 54 has sufficient reserves to cover the projected differences in the 2011-12 budget. District 54 will be debt free after making its Dec. 1, 2011, bond payment

District 54 developed the 2011-12 budget based on the following parameters:

• There will continue to be a freeze on overall cumulative spending in supplies, purchased services and capital outlay. The only exception is in the Operations and Maintenance and Capital funds, where cost-of-service increases can’t be controlled.
• Interest income has declined. District 54 projects interest factors of less than 2 percent.
• Federal aid is estimated to show minor increases.
• State aid is expected to remain flat.
• Property tax levies use the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the previous calendar year. The 2010 CPI was 2.7 percent. It is estimated to be 1.5 percent in 2011.
• Benefit costs are projected to increase by about 5 percent annually, with the biggest increase in HMO medical costs, which are projected at a 7.5 percent increase.

District 54 receives less than 21.6 percent of its revenue from state and federal sources, compared to the “average Illinois school district,” which receives almost 38 percent of its revenue from state sources and about 9.3 percent from federal sources.

To view the detailed 2011-12 budget, visit the new District 54 BoardDocs website.

Thursday, Aug. 11, is Registration Day for any students new to our district who have not yet registered for our schools or returning students who have not yet submitted their registration form. Personnel will be at each school to register students from 9 to 11 a.m., 1 to 2:30 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Please visit your neighborhood school (and note that Lincoln Prairie is not a neighborhood school).

To register, parents will need to provide proof of age as well as proof of residency. For a complete list of forms and documents needed, please visit our registration web page at http://sd54.org/registration/.

Parents are also required to pay a consumable materials fee at registration to cover the cost of workbooks, paper, art supplies and other items used by students. District 54’s consumable materials fees are $50 for all students from early childhood through junior high school for the 2011-12 school year. Fees for students in the parent-paid preschool program are included in the tuition costs.

Parents are encouraged to enroll their children as soon as possible after moving into our school district. Children entering kindergarten in the fall of 2011 must be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1, 2011. District 54 does not offer early entrance.

Some of the schools in District 54 will also hold School of Information Days on Aug. 11 or back-to-school picnics and events. Call your school or check its website for more information.

The first day of school for students in first through eighth grade is Aug. 24, except at three junior high schools. At Keller, Eisenhower and Mead, seventh-grade students start Aug. 24 and eighth-grade students start Aug. 25. Kindergarten and early childhood students start school on Aug. 29.

Most of our students in first through eighth grade will attend their first day of the 2011-12 school year on Wednesday, Aug. 24. At Eisenhower, Keller and Mead, only seventh-grade students will attend on the 24th. Eighth-grade students will return to school on Aug. 25.

Kindergarten and early childhood students will start Aug. 29.

Some schools have planned welcome back activities and curriculum nights in August and September. We urge parents to visit the schools and take an active role in their children’s education

Click here to read the School Zone Newsletter for August 2011, which contains a column from our newest board member, Mary Kay Prusnick, as well as information about back to school and registration information.