Lyons Township approves FY26 budget, OKs $3 million transfer for new softball field

The Lyons Township High School District 204 Board of Education on Tuesday adopted its FY26 final budget and approved a resolution to transfer up to $3,000,000 from the district's Operations and Maintenance fund to the Capital Projects fund to finance construction of a new softball field.

Director Brian Stashek told the board the district is projecting $105,087,000 in revenues and $105,153,000 in expenses for FY26 and that a stronger-than-expected corporate personal property replacement tax (CPPRT) payment reduced an earlier projected operating deficit from about $1.8 million to roughly $900,000. "We had $3,800,000 in the tentative budget. However, the estimate from the state of Illinois Department of Revenue came back closer to $5,000,000," Stashek said, adding he conservatively budgeted $4,700,000.

Why it matters: The board's vote finalizes spending and revenue assumptions that guide hiring, benefits and capital projects. Trustees also approved the $3,000,000 fund-transfer resolution so donor funds already pledged for the softball field can be moved into the capital fund and used for construction.

Key details and voting - Fund balances read into the record (as of Aug. 31, 2025) included: Education Fund $23,684,093.96; Operations & Maintenance $9,923,504.36; Bond & Interest $1,515,672.63; Transportation $4,229,758.10; IMRF/Social Security $1,846,000.15; Site & Construction/Capital Projects $10,914,305.84; Working Cash $4,963,486.20. Total across funds: $57,076,821.24. - Stashek explained that a $1,000,000 donation for the softball field is recorded temporarily in the O&M fund and then moved to the Capital Projects fund, which "shows up as a revenue of a million dollars in the actual budget. So it's really skewing that number..." He said removing that pass-through restores the roughly $900,000 operating deficit. - Revenue mix and expenses: Stashek said about 94% of district revenue is local (property taxes, CPPRT, fees), 5% state and 1% federal; about 73% of expenses are salaries and benefits.

Board action: The board moved, seconded and adopted the FY26 budget "as presented." The roll call recorded affirmative votes from members present; the motion passed. The board also approved the resolution to transfer up to $3,000,000 from O&M to Capital Projects for the softball field; trustees noted the project still awaited a Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) permit before ground-breaking.

Discussion of health-insurance pool: Stashek informed the board that LADSI intends to leave the district's health-insurance pool effective Jan. 1, 2026. "We were notified late last week that LADSI intends to leave our health insurance pool," he said, adding the change will not take effect until next year and that district staff and brokers are analyzing the financial impact. Stashek said the district will likely amend the budget later to reflect any rate or claims-runout changes.

Next steps and oversight: Stashek said he will return to the board with information on insurance-rate impacts in the coming months and noted the district plans to report quarterly on cafeteria participation following the vendor transition. Members asked for regular updates on the insurance analysis and on the softball project's permitting timeline.

Ending: With the budget and transfer approved, trustees left the door open for future budget amendments tied to insurance-pool changes and other emergent costs.