Arlington Heights School District 25 officials presented a tentative 2025–26 budget to the board at its Aug. 19 meeting showing roughly $107 million in total revenue and continued use of capital funds for planned projects.

Stacy (last name not specified), speaking in the business and finance section, told the board the budget is preliminary and that final allocations will change when the district receives 2024 final tax extension information. "The revenue budget in total ... will still be roughly that $107,000,000 plus the Title funds," Stacy said, noting the district has 30 days before final adoption to refine numbers.

Key figures presented: an unaudited June 2025 ending deficit of about $7.7 million (better than projected by approximately $1.3 million), a projected total deficit for 2025–26 of about $4.95 million (largely capital payments), and an operating fund balance within the board’s stated 40–60% target (about a 53% total fund balance reported). The presentation also highlighted a projected capital projects fund balance of roughly $17.5 million at June 30, 2026, with about $4–5 million of that attributed to a referendum carryover.

Stacy described major budget items: a planned $1.5 million for remodeling food service kitchens at South and Thomas, approximately $950,000 for curriculum adoptions and related materials (smaller adoptions in math, PE and creative arts), technology infrastructure investments and contingency funds totaling nearly $1 million. The district also expects a $370,000 Tax Increment Financing (TIF) surplus distribution and continues to abate a prior‑year refund/recapture levy.

Officials cautioned that some line items and interfund allocations will change once the district receives county tax extension rates. Stacy said the district projects an average interest yield of about 3.5% on invested balances and noted federal and state grant allocations (Title I and Title III) were recently finalized and will be incorporated into the final budget. The board will hold a public hearing and consider final adoption before the Sept. 30 legal deadline.

Board members were invited to submit questions to business staff during the intervening month so staff can prepare the final budget for the September hearing and adoption vote.