Evanston Township approves balanced $118.4M FY26 budget amid revenue uncertainty

Evanston Township High School’s Board of Education on Sept. 8 approved a balanced $118.4 million final budget for fiscal year 2026 while hearing repeated warnings from the district that major revenue streams remain uncertain. Kendra Williams, the district’s chief financial officer, presented the budget and cautioned the board that property-tax receipts, federal grants and corporate personal property replacement tax (CPPRT) remain unstable.

The budget documents show a 4.0% increase in total budgeted dollars from FY25 and a 2.9% rise in the operating budget to $102.4 million. “We have a balanced budget that’s being presented to the board for approval this evening,” Kendra Williams said. She told the board the district has presented balanced budgets for 19 years but emphasized continued revenue pressures.

The nut graf: Why it matters – about 80%-plus of district revenue comes from property taxes, and the district said delayed county billing and reliance on federal and state categorical aid leave the budget vulnerable. The district said its fund balance is a critical buffer; without it, officials said, the district could require short-term borrowing to meet payroll.

Board members heard specifics on where revenue is expected to hold steady or decline. Williams said CPPRT increased slightly from the tentative budget but remains far below historical levels, after declining by about $3.5 million over the prior two years. She also said state evidence-based funding was expected to remain around $3 million, and federal aid was largely flat. The operating fund increase is smaller than the rise in personnel costs: salaries and benefits were budgeted to rise about 5% and together account for nearly 80% of expenditures.

On expenditures, Williams said the district increased budgeted spending for special-education personnel after determining it needed five additional paraprofessionals for FY26. Capital spending was budgeted at $8 million; Williams said the district plans a debt issuance this year to address capital needs and expects philanthropic support from the ETHS Foundation for arts-and-innovation wing renovations.

Board discussion focused on resiliency and contingency planning. “It felt like it was shaky — it could be here today, gone tomorrow,” Board President Savage Williams said when thanking staff. Board members asked what a sudden loss of federal funds would mean; district leaders said such losses would be “catastrophic” if major categorical supports like IDEA or Title grants were eliminated and would require deep mitigation that could change district operations.

Williams outlined mitigation strategies already in use: 0-based budgeting, ongoing review of vendor contracts, expanding revenue opportunities (for example, newly awarded truancy/alternative education grant funds), capital investments that reduce operating costs, and monthly monitoring of expenditures. She also presented multi‑year fund-balance projections showing the district’s reserves decrease without continued mitigation.

A particular operational risk cited at the hearing was a delay in property-tax billing by Cook County. “We have not received our property taxes in a timely manner,” Williams said, noting that typical receipts that arrive in August had not yet been billed by the county and that no firm billing date had been offered. The district said it is relying on fund balance to meet cashflow needs in the short term.

The board approved the final FY26 budget later in the meeting by roll call; the district said the final budget document must be filed with the county clerk within 30 days of approval.

Ending: District leaders said they will continue monthly monitoring, pursue additional grants, and plan for potential reorganization if revenue declines continue. The district called the FY26 adoption a demonstration of “long-term fiscal sustainability” while repeatedly warning the board that continued economic and policy uncertainty could require further adjustments.