Sycamore forecast shows risk of cash shortfall by 2029; board models levy and spending scenarios

Jenny Logan, the district treasurer, opened the board’s financial presentation on Nov. 20 with an overview of the district’s updated five‑year forecast and the assumptions behind it. "So, tonight what I wanted to do was review the 5 year forecast," she said as she began the slide presentation.

The forecast — updated from the prior meeting and extended through fiscal 2029 — shows Sycamore could fall below the board’s cash‑balance goal in 2028 and would be at risk of a cash shortfall in 2029 if the district’s current revenue and expenditure assumptions hold. Logan and board members modeled alternative scenarios including a fully phased‑in Fair School Funding Plan and a potential 6.5‑mill levy (4.5 operating mills, 2 mills for permanent improvement) to estimate how each option would affect the long‑range outlook.

Why it matters: Sycamore’s revenues are heavily local; Logan told the board that local sources supply the lion’s share of district revenue and that state foundation funding accounts for a much smaller percentage. Under the assumptions presented — including no guaranteed completion of the state’s Fair School Funding Plan in…