Round Lake CUSD 116 outlines FY26 budget assumptions including staffing shifts, art and math reductions

Round Lake CUSD 116 administrators reviewed the district’s fiscal year 2026 budget assumptions at the March 17 board meeting at Round Lake High School Library, detailing planned staffing additions and reductions and noting several items covered by grant funding.

Superintendent Dr. Mendoza told the board the budget team increased the fund-balance allocation to include $328,000 for a rooftop unit (RTU) at Ellis Elementary and planned an $800,000 transfer from FY25 reserves to FY26. She said health‑care cost increases were reduced in the draft to $250,000 due to better‑than‑expected rates.

The presentation listed planned personnel changes including a transition outplacement administrator (+$141,000), a director of finance administrator (+$150,000), a multilingual intake assessment specialist (+$85,000), and behavior interventionists (about +$250,000) aimed primarily at elementary grades. An outplacement specialist line was reduced by $76,000 to offset some of those costs. The package also showed a $164,000 reduction described as a reduction in art and math positions and an increase of roughly $333,000 for additional teaching assistants that the administration expects will be covered by grants.

Administrators told the board that the large curriculum-adoption expense will be largely grant-funded: the memo shows a $996,000 grant offset and a remaining local curriculum-adoption figure of $399,000 in the FY26 assumptions. The Apple device lease that appears elsewhere on the agenda was called out as part of technology expenditures in line 58, and the RTU at Ellis was again noted in the projected expenditures.

Finance‑committee representatives confirmed the assumptions were vetted at the committee level. Ms. Negrete McGilley (board member, finance committee) and Mr. Rivera (board member) both asked for and received clarifications that reductions would not eliminate art or math access for students; administrators said class offerings for high school students would remain available and that staffing adjustments follow enrollment and program needs.

Administrators said the staffing changes are intended to reallocate resources toward multilingual intake, behavioral supports, and administrative coverage for out‑of‑district placements. They said curriculum adoption costs will be covered largely by grants, limiting the local budget impact for FY26. The board did not take a final vote on the FY26 assumptions at the March 17 meeting; the discussion was presented as the basis for upcoming budget work and committee actions.

The presentation and discussion were repeated and reviewed in finance committee prior to the full board meeting, and administrators said they will return to the board with any mandated changes or new information.

Less critical details: administrators said they reduced a curriculum line and moved $400,000 back into fund balance for planning purposes and reiterated that they do not anticipate unanticipated staffing changes unless required by special-education annual reviews or other emergent student needs.