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District 207 projects $3–5 million surplus; board hears insurance, TIF and levy updates
Summary
Finance committee updates at the District 207 meeting covered 2025 budget assumptions and timeline, a projected $3–5 million surplus, property-tax appeal activity, tax-increment-financing (TIF) changes and higher insurance costs including increased cyber limits.
The Maine Township High School District 207 finance committee reported that, under current assumptions, the district expects to finish the fiscal year with a projected surplus between $3 million and $5 million and presented updates on property-tax appeals, TIF activity and insurance renewal during the board meeting.
Assistant Superintendent for Business Mary Clue briefed the board on budget planning. The committee said budget preparation will proceed to allow the board to intervene before staffing decisions are finalized; staff costs represent roughly 80% of district expenditures. The committee said CPI assumptions are returning to a more normalized level, “slightly above the 3% mark,” and that next year should require minimal additional staff. The district will include allocations for purchased services, textbooks, infrastructure and creation of digital records.
On property-tax appeals the district reported interventions at the Board of Review and at the Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB) when requests exceeded $100,000. The district said it has limited exposure by intervening early and that large commercial assessment increases prompted outside counsel to assist with reviews.
TIF updates: the finance report described active TIFs in Park Ridge, Des Plaines, Niles and Rosemont. Park Ridge’s uptown TIF payment to the district is expected to increase over the next three years to $737,500 annually; the district said that back-loaded payment schedule was negotiated previously to assist the city’s cash flow and will yield increased tax revenue when the TIF expires.
Insurance: the district’s member pool, the Secondary School Cooperative Risk Management Program (SSCRMP), is renewing coverage during a difficult market. The district reported a double-digit increase in the pool’s cost and described a district-level insurance increase in the low double digits; the district said it will increase cyber coverage from $1 million to $2 million and noted a $100,000 cyber deductible. The finance report said the educational liability market in Cook County is particularly challenging and some insurers are exiting the market.
Procurements and contracts: the board approved a 63-month lease for postage machines with Quadient Direct (the district said Quadient submitted the lowest responsive quote after demonstrations) and approved several construction contracts at the buildings-and-grounds recommendation (see separate article). Finance committee minutes also noted a planned market check on security-guard salaries and an expectation that capital spending patterns will settle after a recent referendum project cycle.
Why it matters: the budget assumptions and insurance renewals drive near-term staffing and procurement decisions; insurance market shifts and rising cyber risk affect district financial exposure.
No levy vote or staff reductions were announced at the meeting. The district plans a second-quarter budget update in December to present a tighter year-end projection.
