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Springfield SD 186 reports FY26 shortfalls, explains Evidence-Based Funding impact
Summary
The Springfield SD 186 board heard a November finance report showing FY26 ed fund revenues of $8.1 million versus expenditures of $20 million and an explanation of Illinois' Evidence Based Funding (EBF). Officials said the district is at 76.32% adequacy (tier 2) and will receive about $1.1 million in new BFM money this year.
The Springfield SD 186 Board of Education was told on Dec. 15 that the district faces a large operating gap for fiscal year 2026 while staff outlined how state Evidence Based Funding (EBF) affects local allocations.
Business official (identified in the meeting) told the board that FY26 ed fund revenues through November were $8,100,000 and expenditures were $20,000,000, meaning expenditures exceeded revenues by about $12,000,000. The district reported a combined cash balance of $85,900,000 across all funds and $44,800,000 in operating funds as of Nov. 30, 2025. Recorded county sales tax proceeds for the month were $1,360,000 (August collection period).
The same presenter summarized Illinois' Evidence Based Funding formula and its implications for the district. "Our adequacy funding, we're at 76.32%," the business official said, placing Springfield SD 186 in tier 2 of the EBF distribution. Under the state's tier system, districts below 75.6% would be tier 1; the presenter said the district missed tier 1 by about 0.7 percentage points.
The board was given the mechanics of the EBF pot and the district's base funding minimum (BFM). The presenter said the state contributed approximately $307,000,000 in additional EBF dollars this cycle and described how the pot is split between tiers. For Springfield SD 186, the BFM rose from $52,000,000 last year to $53,100,000 this year, an increase the presenter described as "$1,100,000" in new money.
When asked how the added funds will be used, the business official said the additional $1.1 million will go into the ed fund to pay bills and to help reduce the deficit.
The presenter cautioned that operating percentages are partly affected by timing: several invoices (transportation, food service) had not yet posted and could push expenditure figures higher in December or January reports. Board members requested continued monitoring and a graphical trend of sales tax collections for a future meeting.
The board took no immediate budget action at the meeting; trustees were updated on fiscal status and the mechanics by which state funding flows to the district. The next financial update is expected in the board's upcoming reports.
