Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Center Cass School District 66 Superintendent Andrew Wise, right,

offers up water to runners during a 5K race for fifth through eighth

graders on Sept. 23, 2022.

Nestled in a leafy and prosperous swath of suburban

DuPage County, Center Cass School District 66 in

Downers Grove at first glance appears to exemplify

the best of public education.

The district boasts three tidy and modern school

buildings, enthusiastic teachers a reputation for

academic rigor and plenty of personal attention for its

1,100 students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

But the district's dire financial woes have resulted this

fall in steep budget cuts, including reducing the

number of teachers and building custodians,

eliminating all extracurricular programs and athletics,

cutting bus routes and shortening the school day.

"We are performing education triage," said teacher

Jake Little, who has taught social studies at District 66

for 18 years. "The needs of the students are so much

greater than they were years ago. ... We have some

students reading five grades below, and we don't have

the resources for the interventions and attention they

need."