George Rehfeldt, a member of Citizens for Responsible Fiscal Management, said the group will mount a new campaign to defeat the district's pared-down 5.5-mill levy on the November ballot.

The five-year plan that Superintendent Karen Mantia spent nearly two hours presenting to a crowd of about 100 people Wednesday evening was not specific enough, Rehfeldt said.

"We are going to try as best we can, mightily try, to defeat this levy," he said.

Rehfeldt said Mantia's presentation lacked concrete answers about how the school would address declining enrollment and "a system that's overbuilt and overstaffed."

Mantia's plan focused on holding growth of per-pupil expenditures - which, at about $12,500 is $4,000 higher than neighboring districts with similar "excellent" ratings on state tests - to an average of 3 percent. Officials also will cap growth of the budget at 4 percent annually through 2009, she said.

Much of that would be controlled through adjusting staffing levels as enrollment is projected to decline by 500 students through 2009.

Officials also will study transportation cuts and possibly closing an elementary or intermediate school building, Mantia said. Teacher's salaries and benefits - in the top 1 percent in the state - will be an issue in next year's negotiations.

Susan Johnstal, co-chair of the pro-levy committee Community for a Strong Sycamore, disagreed that Mantia's plan lacked substance.

"The plan protects the investment that Sycamore residents have made in our schools. Without this levy, our district will be less competitive, which could easily have a negative impact on our property values," Johnstal said.

The district has trimmed the budget by eliminating 88 positions, with a total of 120 jobs to be cut by the end of the 2005-06 school year.

If approved, the 5.5-mill five-year levy would raise $8.8 millionannually. It would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $168 more in taxes annually.

Voters soundly defeated a 7.9-mill continuing levy in August.

E-mail smclaughlin@enquirer.com