At the Dec. 8 meeting of the Evanston Township High School Board of Education, Doctor Campbell told board members the district had received "no money from Cook County" for the current tax cycle and was "at the end of what we could manage." The administration said it has started liquidating investments and drawing down fund balance to maintain cash flow and may need tax‑anticipation borrowing if the county does not distribute receipts soon.

The board voted to adopt the 2025 tax levy during the meeting. Doctor Campbell and business office staff said they are pursuing advocacy with Cook County and coordinating with the board on next steps if funds are not distributed. "We are pretty much relying on all of our, what we call, our savings, our fund balance to run the school," Doctor Campbell said. Kendra Williams added that staff had "had to liquidate some investments" to cover cash needs.

Why it matters: The district budgets based on property‑tax receipts that are typically disbursed by the county; a prolonged delay affects liquidity and can force districts to borrow at cost. Administration estimated the district budgets roughly $80,000,000 in property taxes and said about half is tied to the installment currently pending, placing "tens of millions" in play if disbursements are withheld.

Board members pressed for numbers and options. Asked about the scale, administration said the fall installment represents a substantial share of the annual property‑tax budget and emphasized the district typically maintains four to five months of cash on hand but has been drawing that down. Doctor Campbell said the county suggested the district could pursue a commercial loan but noted that would carry interest and would be an unfair penalty for a county delay. "We went to the county and said, hey, why don't we go for a 0 interest loan?" Doctor Campbell said. "They told us our credit was too good, and we had to have a rate."

The board discussed possible advocacy and legislative options, including urging the county to give earlier notice when disbursements will not be made. Administration said other districts are facing similar issues and some have already issued tax‑anticipation warrants.

The board adopted the 2025 tax levy by roll call. The meeting packet and administrators state they will continue to monitor county action and return to the board with follow‑up recommendations if funds are not received by the district's expected dates.