A review of primarily central office jobs at Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 is underway in light of potentially declining revenue and rising costs in the midst of budget discussions for the 2026-2027 school year.

Gwen Polk, the district’s assistant superintendent for business and financial services, said there is a lot of uncertainty about several revenue streams. Salaries and benefits account for 75% to 80% of all spending. As a result, she said, taking a closer look at what employees do is necessary.

“This year, in particular, the district is going to take a closer look at administrative staffing levels through a comprehensive review process to ensure resources are aligned with student needs and district priorities,” Polk said.

The District 60 Board of Education got a close look at the review process and other financial issues during a meeting of the Operational Services Committee on Tuesday at the Education Service Center in Waukegan, ahead of making decisions later this month.

Department heads are already looking at the roles of each job they supervise and, in the process, are making suggestions. Polk said the recommendations will go to the appropriate deputy superintendent for further consideration.

LeBaron Moten, District 60’s deputy superintendent for operational supports and programs, or Eduardo Cesario, the deputy superintendent for academic supports and programs, will soon give their recommendations to Superintendent Theresa Plascencia for final consideration.

Plascencia will make a final decision before a review by the human resources and legal departments. Polk said the board will consider any changes at a special meeting in late February. Impacted employees, if any, will be notified in early March.

“Before we spread panic, we’re looking at administrative division positions right now,” Plascencia said. “We’re looking at central office positions. My stance has been, we will not cut direct services to students.”

Among direct services to students, she said things like student initiatives, athletics, art programs or “anything that directly touches students” will remain. She wants to make sure there is no duplication of services in any of the descriptions. Some changes are already taking place.

“We’ve already started to scale back this school year, and we will continue to scale back,” Plascencia said. “What we don’t want is a direct impact where it shocks the system.”

Board member Anita Hanna said that before the district starts cutting staff, she wants to see a reduction in expenses. There are areas where she sees waste.

“Before we get to staff reductions, what kind of spending reductions are we doing?” Hanna said. “There are things we could do without, (like) using other venues when we have a school building we could use. We need to get rid of consulting contracts before we start reducing staff.”

Plascencia said programs and their expenses are often connected. One is needed to ensure the other will work. For special events, outside vendors can be less expensive than the contracted food service provided for school meals.

“You don’t look at these two things in isolation,” Plascencia said. “They have to work together. We are looking at it all simultaneously. It’s not the cart before the horse, or the horse before the cart. One can’t come before another. This is a process, and it’s going to be a process.”

Board member Carolina Fabian said certain positions are mandated. She wants to make sure they remain in place. She also thinks consultants provide a fresh set of eyes with an outside perspective.

“You don’t want the person who works in the district to be writing their own job description, or the job description of their colleagues, or the person above them,” Fabian said. “There are moments in time when we need consultants because they are neutral. “

Among the financial uncertainties confronting Polk are less state funding because of declining enrollment. There is uncertainty because the federal government is considering the elimination of the U.S. Department of Education. Executive orders from Washington can make a difference.

“We don’t know what the impact of that is going to be,” Polk said. “We’ve heard that there are going to be some reductions in Medicaid, and we have to look at that because we’re providing services to our special education students and we’re getting reimbursed for some of those costs.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/13/waukegan-school-board-job-review/