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Parent urges board to deny district funding for CAST summer theater; board approves $59,375 allocation
Summary
A parent told the Oak Park ESD 97 board she opposes using district tax dollars to fund the CAST summer theater program and questioned budget transparency. The board voted to approve up to $59,375 for the 2025 CAST summer program after a split vote.
Rachel Maddox, a parent of two District 97 students, urged the Board of Education on March 18 to deny district funding for the CAST summer theater program, saying the district’s limited tax dollars should prioritize academic interventions such as literacy.
Maddox described the role performing arts played for her children but said her daughter needed literacy intervention rather than a tuition-free summer theater placement. “D97 has a finite amount of taxpayer dollars and we have to make choices on where to spend our money. We cannot fund an extracurricular summer theater program when our students are not meeting benchmarks in literacy,” Maddox told the board during public comment.
Why it matters: The board considered a one-time payment to run CAST this summer. Board members debated whether the district should underwrite the program, charge tuition with scholarships as in the past, or require greater budget detail before approving taxpayer support.
Discussion and questions at the meeting focused on transparency of the CAST budget and whether the $59,375 figure covered only labor. Maddox said past leadership presented a $60,000 labor figure for roughly 75 students (about $800 per student) and asked where costs for licensing, costumes and set design were accounted for.
District staff said they did not have a full line-item breakdown available at the table. “I don’t have that information right now, but I can get it for you,” said Ebony, a district staff member who answered questions about the program’s timeline. Board members noted the timing pressure for summer programming but said staff could return with additional budget detail at the board’s April meeting.
Vote and outcome: After discussion, the board voted to approve the 2025 CAST summer program funding “not to exceed $59,375.” The roll call contained both yea and nay votes; the motion carried.
Context and next steps: Several board members requested a follow-up presentation showing a full, line-item budget and the district’s plan for tuition, subsidies or scholarships if the board moves away from fully district-funded programming. Staff said they could return with additional financial detail at the April 8 meeting, though doing so would compress the summer program planning timeline.
Ending: The board approved the funding as presented March 18; staff committed to provide a more detailed budget breakdown and to outline alternatives such as tuition with scholarship supports if the board revisits the item at a later meeting.
