CHSD 128 holds FY26 budget hearing; board approves five-year teacher contract

The CHSD 128 board opened a public hearing on the tentative fiscal year 2026 budget and later unanimously approved a revised teacher contract covering July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2030.

Dan Stanley (administrator) summarized the tentative budget during the hearing: the district is projecting roughly $111 million in revenues and $109 million in expenditures for 2025–26, producing a tentative surplus of about $1.7 million. Stanley said the revenue side reflects a consumer-price-index adjustment of 3.4% tied to the levy approved last fall, a projected increase in interest income (noting volatility in market rates), and a projected decrease in CPPRT (state shared revenue) receipts. On the expenditure side Stanley said staffing costs and retirements are primary drivers; medical insurance costs are budgeted up about 2.8% and the district accounted for employees moving to a different plan tier per contract changes.

Stanley also noted a small projected decline in out-of-district placement costs, a substantive line item for the district, and cautioned that actuals will shift depending on student counts on day one of the school year. He described the tentative budget as a healthy position for the district and said staff will refine numbers on the path to final adoption.

During the special board meeting the board reconvened from closed session and took formal action on a negotiated agreement. Board member Lisa Hessel moved to approve the revised agreement between the Board of Education, Community High School District 128, Lake County, Illinois, and the Libertyville High School/Vernon Hills High School Federation of Teachers, Local 504, IFT-AFT AFL-CIO for July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2030; Doug Flegal seconded. The roll-call vote was unanimous (Deshmukh: Aye; Flegal: Aye; Hessel: Aye; Poland: Aye; Austin: Aye; Batson: Aye) and the motion passed.

The board opened the budget hearing at 7:25 p.m. and closed it at approximately 7:37 p.m.; no adoption vote on the final budget occurred at the hearing. Board members asked detailed questions about forecasting interest income and sensitivity to rate changes; administration said interest income assumptions are conservative and that the district will report midyear on trends and adjust future-year projections as needed.

Earlier in the meeting the board had convened in closed session to discuss collective negotiating matters and probable litigation under 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(2) and 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(11); the board recorded a roll-call vote to enter closed session and later returned to open session before taking the teacher-contract vote.