School board adopts final 2025–26 budget with small planned deficit

The school board adopted its final fiscal year 2025–26 budget during a public meeting and will submit the document to the Illinois State Board of Education. The presenter said the budget shows about $46,540,000 in revenues and $46,600,000 in expenditures, producing a planned deficit. The budget presentation explained the board followed required Illinois procedures: the tentative budget was published, placed on public display for the required 30 days and a public hearing was held before adoption. A staff presenter said the district posted hard copies in the office and on the district website and published the notice in the local paper. District staff described changes between the tentative and final budgets. The Illinois Department of Revenue released final corporate personal property replacement tax estimates that were higher than previously assumed; that change and a submitted pupil transportation claim increased projected revenues by roughly $354,000. On the expenditure side, staff hired since the tentative budget raised personnel costs by about $26,200, and two contracted teachers added about $150,000 to purchased services. Staff said grant allocations have now been assigned to specific account numbers. The presenter summarized the net change from the tentative to the final budget as $6,300. The same presenter also said, “It is a deficit budget, and it was intentional. There's no need for any deficit spending plan in the state because the district is financially stable.” The presentation included a projected ending fund balance of $33,895,498 as of June 30, 2026. Board members moved and seconded adoption of the final budget; a roll call vote was taken and the motion passed. The adopted budget will be submitted electronically to the Illinois State Board of Education and to the county board as required. Remarks during a finance committee update noted the committee reviewed the final changes and had asked questions of the presenter during the committee meeting. Fiscal and timing details reported in the meeting transcript contain a minor inconsistency in the deficit figures stated during the presentation (the presenter referred to both $61,100 and $661,100 in different places); the transcript copy provided to this article shows both numbers. The article reports the figures as stated by staff and uses the reported projected ending fund balance above.