Proviso Township High School District 209 board hears financial review, authorizes publication of tentative FY26 budget

Proviso Township High School District 209 on June 10 received a financial assessment from outside consultant Rob Grossi and approved publishing the district's tentative fiscal year 2026 budget for public inspection and a public hearing in August.

Grossi, who described himself as an outside financial consultant, told the board the district has recorded a structural surplus averaging about $25,000,000 annually since 2022 (excluding major capital activity) while also investing roughly $138,000,000 in facilities improvements during that period. He said those capital investments were funded largely from bond proceeds, fund balances and federal ESSER dollars.

The plan the district presented calls for publishing the tentative FY26 budget for public inspection beginning June 17 and a public hearing on Aug. 12, 2025; the district must adopt a final budget by state law on or before Sept. 30, 2025. The board voted to authorize publication as part of routine budget procedures.

Grossi cautioned that while the district has outperformed many peers, revenue sources available to Illinois school districts may be constrained in coming years. He pointed to potential downward pressure on local revenues because of Cook County tax caps and a forecast of reduced corporate personal property replacement taxes. He also noted the state faces large deficits that could eventually affect school funding.

District staff presenting the tentative budget said the proposal assumes a 3% increase to real estate taxes and budgets $6,400,000 in capital projects for FY26 (including a $4,500,000 retainage tied to prior work). The FY26 proposal includes a budgeted increase in salaries of roughly 4.5 percent and sets aside approximately $7,000,000 for capital in the budget documents presented to the board for public display.

The presenters described a new pre‑purchase review process in which any expenditure above $2,500 must be vetted by a committee before a requisition is entered. Board members and staff said the intent is to align spending more closely with district priorities and slow expenditure growth to match revenue growth.

“I would say, from a historical perspective, the growth in revenues over the past few years has been as high as it's ever been,” Grossi said during his presentation, noting both the recent structural surplus and the district's capital commitments.

Board members asked staff about drivers of budget pressure, including the district’s relatively high out‑of‑district tuition costs for special education students. Staff said out‑of‑district tuition makes up a significant portion of the budget and that the district is exploring ways to house more services locally.

The board unanimously voted to authorize publication of the tentative FY26 budget and to place the tentative budget on public display in accordance with state law. The district plans to file the final budget with the Illinois State Board of Education after board adoption.

Looking ahead, district leaders said they will continue to update financial projections and monitor revenues and expenditures while moving forward with capital projects that have external funding sources.