District presents tentative FY25-26 budget; board approves Frederick chiller contract and schedules temporary meeting relocation

District finance staff presented the tentative fiscal year 2025-26 budget Wednesday and reviewed a timeline that will place the tentative budget on public display starting June 5, with a required public hearing and final adoption on Sept. 17 and filing with the Illinois State Board of Education by Sept. 30.

Why it matters: presenters said the district remains in a multi-year structural deficit pattern but noted the community's April referendum will add material ongoing revenue; capital repairs this summer also require near-term funding decisions.

The presentation reviewed revenue and expenditures. Finance staff reported the IMRF employer contribution rate increased to 9.34% (from 9.28) and said the state's full funding of Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) will raise the district's EBF allocation (the presenter described it as roughly an 8% step this cycle). The administration said the April limiting-rate referendum will produce an estimated $7,800,000 in additional local revenue annually beginning in fiscal 2026-27.

On capital needs, the administration listed $1.9 million in chiller/boiler and supporting work across Frederick, Prairieview and GMS that the board had already approved earlier in the meeting. Finance staff also described a recently identified problem at Park Campus: the administrative air-handling unit is failing. The administration recommended replacing the condensing unit and coil rather than pursuing a temporary fix and estimated the replacement at about $120,000. Administration said it would bring a formal contract proposal at a future meeting and described the Park AHU as an emergency-level need.

The board approved a contract award for Frederick site improvements (the chiller work) during the meeting. Facilities staff said the chiller installation work will require the board to move its next two meetings; the board directed staff to hold the June and July meetings at Grayslake Middle School (GMS) and return for August if the facilities work is complete.

The administration also described other budget assumptions: continued large shares of local property tax revenue, categorical supports from the state, continued personnel and benefits costs as the largest expenditure category, and pending impacts from the Grayslake Federation of Teachers collective-bargaining agreement (administrators said a ratification vote by the union and a subsequent board ratification would change final salary costs and that a final update will be provided before the September adoption).

Next steps: the tentative budget will be posted for public review June 5 and updated as needed; a public hearing is set for Sept. 17; administration will return with a formal Park AHU contract recommendation and updated projections after the audit and any final contract ratifications.