Quincy School District to begin future assessment with superintendent’s committee

QUINCY — Quincy Superintendent of Schools Todd Pettit said the committee he is heading up to look at what the school district will look like in the future will begin meeting next month.

At Wednesday’s Quincy School Board meeting, Pettit said the first meeting will be on April 9 at Quincy High School.

Pettit told the board 60 people have been invited to begin the process of structuring the committee, which has a goal of gathering information to plan for an expected deficit by the end of the decade and to consider the possibility of “cutting programs, increasing revenues through local tax”.

Director of Business Operations Ryan Whicker has projected the district to be at a deficit by 2028, with some of the separate, individual funds expected to dip into reserves with next school year’s budget.

District 172 was headed toward a deficit under the previous superintendent, Roy Webb, but a boost of millions in state and federal funding during the Pandemic helped stave off those shortfalls.

The district put a 53 cent tax increase before the voters just as the Pandemic was starting in March 2020, but that was defeated 56-44.