Plainfield SD 202 presents tentative FY26 budget, outlines transfers and fund-balance strategy

Plainfield School District 202 officials presented a tentative budget for fiscal year 2026 and outlined planned transfers and fund-balance targets during the board of education meeting on May 21. The presentation, delivered to the full board after a site and finance committee review, described revenue assumptions, major expenditure drivers and planned uses of reserves.

District staff said the budget is being shaped by three priorities: fiscal responsibility to the community, maintaining fund-balance policy targets, and directing allocations to students. Alex, a district staff member who presented the budget, said the district is budgeting in the range presented at the site and finance meeting and noted the presentation was a condensed version of a larger package that will be available at the June meeting. "I wouldn't say red is scary in this case," Alex said when explaining planned deficits and transfers that were intentionally budgeted to cover negotiated salary adjustments and capital commitments.

The presentation identified the district's largest revenue sources as local property taxes and state evidence-based funding; presenters said evidence-based funding was shown in the presentation as 141.7 (figure presented by staff; units not specified). Staff also said the district's policy requires fund balance to remain between 30% and 50% of expenditures and that the tentative FY26 plan projects fund balance across funds near the middle of that range (the presentation showed approximately 46% for FY26). Presenters described planned transfers from the Education Fund to Debt Service and Capital Projects to cover lease certificates, debt certificates and capital expenditures that must be paid from those funds rather than levied.

During committee reports, Elias Kalanzes, a board member, moved to approve the action items tied to the site and finance report (items 9.3 through 9.1 as presented); Greg Nichols seconded the motion. The motion passed on a voice vote; members recorded on the roll call included Greg Nichols and Miss Morelos voting yes. Board members asked few substantive questions during the full-board presentation; staff offered links and detailed fund-by-fund schedules for board members and the public to review prior to the June budget vote.

Staff emphasized several other details: salaries and benefits are the largest expenditure driver (staff noted a 1% change in salaries equals roughly $2.4 million), health-benefit increases were budgeted at 5% (presenter noted a 1% change equals about $460,000), and the district intends to reduce selected fund balances (transportation, IMRF and tort) to avoid tax-objective thresholds and to improve its financial profile. The presenter also noted that federal programs (including IDEA and Title I) and the National School Lunch Program contribute to the revenue mix, and that the district remains more reliant than some peers on state and federal sources shown in the presentation.

The board did not adopt the final FY26 budget at the May 21 meeting; staff said the full budget will be brought to the board for approval next month. The site and finance committee and staff materials will remain available to board members and the public for review in advance of that vote.