Vernon Township schools submit preliminary $74 million 2025–26 budget, schedule May 1 public hearing

Vernon Township Board of Education staff presented the district—s preliminary 2025'526 budget at the board—s March 13 public meeting and the board voted to submit the tentative budget to the county for review.

Business office presentations laid out the broad picture: projected total operating revenue around $74 million, a proposed tax levy increase equal to the 2% local cap (about $998,000), a roughly $1.02 million net increase in state aid, and a planned use of about $2.5 million in fund balance to balance the budget.

Why it matters: administrators said salaries and benefits make up roughly 70—0% of the budget and remain the major cost driver, while sharp increases in energy and certain insurances create a narrow margin between revenues and expenses. The board set a public hearing on the proposed budget for 7 p.m. on May 1 in the Lounsbury High School library.

In his presentation, the staff member leading the briefing described a budget as "a living document" and summarized the process the business office used: reviewing prior-year spending, projecting current-year outlays and revenues, and working with departments to prioritize next-year needs. He told the board the district plans to draw on fund balance and reserves to cover one-time capital and maintenance needs…