District holds FY26 tentative‑budget public hearing; tentative deficit described as nearly $2 million

The Rolling Meadows School District opened a formal public hearing on its fiscal year 2026 tentative budget, a requirement of the Illinois State Board of Education, and invited public comment on the document that has been on display for public inspection. District finance staff described the tentative budget as provisional and said it previously showed a tentative deficit of almost $2 million; staff said the final budget to be presented later in the meeting was lower than that provisional figure.

Why it matters: state rules require a formal hearing and public access to budget documents; the tentative‑to‑final process allows the district to update revenue and expenditure estimates before adopting a final budget.

What district staff said
A district presenter explained the hearing was a formality required by ISBE and reiterated that the tentative budget is a provisional, conservative estimate of revenues and expenditures. Staff said the district published the budget for public review and invited questions; they noted activity between the tentative and final budgets that affects the numbers.

Public participation and outcome
No substantive public comments were recorded during the tentative‑budget segment. A board member moved to adjourn the public hearing and reconvene the regular meeting; the motion was seconded and the board voted to carry the motion. The meeting minutes record the motion as having passed with the board saying "Aye," but individual roll‑call votes were not included in the transcript excerpt.

What was not decided
The board did not adopt the final budget during the tentative‑budget public hearing; the district said it would present a final budget later in the meeting that reflects updated figures.

Ending
District staff said they will present the final FY26 budget later in the meeting and that the final document represents the best estimate of revenues and expenditures after intervening adjustments.