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West Chicago board adopts $2025-26 final budget after public hearing
Summary
The West Chicago ESD 33 Board of Education approved the district's official 2025-26 budget 7-0 following a public hearing; the board also approved routine consent items including vendor renewals, payrolls and several classified hires.
The Board of Education of West Chicago ESD 33 approved the official 2025-2026 school budget in a unanimous roll call vote on Sept. 18, 2025, after the district's public hearing on the proposal.
Karen Apostoli, Executive Director of Business and Operations, presented the budget during the hearing and said there were no public comments; the hearing closed at 7:03 p.m. The motion to adopt the final budget was made by Board Member Chad McLean and seconded by Board Member Morgan Banasiak. On roll call, the board voted 7-0 in favor; the members voting aye were McLean, Banasiak, Tom Doyle, Sandra Garcia, Janette Hernandez, Molly Denton and President Rita Balgeman.
The board also approved its consent agenda, which included minutes from the Aug. 21 and Sept. 4, 2025 meetings; contract renewals with BrainPOP, Themes and Variations, RoHealth and Worldbook Online; payment of bills dated Sept. 8'19, 2025 totaling $2,248,694.74; and payrolls of Aug. 15, 2025 ($510,749.93) and Aug. 29, 2025 ($358,069.92). The consent agenda passed on a roll call vote of 7-0 after a motion by Morgan Banasiak and a second by Chad McLean.
The personnel portion of the consent agenda included six classified hires (lunchroom supervisors and paraprofessionals), one transfer (Maria Perezchica to nurse at Gary, effective Sept. 8, 2025) and the announced retirement of Maria De Prado, social studies teacher at Leman Middle School, effective at the end of the 2025-26 school year. The board approved disposition of closed-session audio tapes that met the statutory disposal criteria.
In her financial report, Apostoli said since the last meeting the district had received $1,209,173.00 in Evidence-Based Funding; $108,379.00 in Early Childhood'PreK for All; $138,158.00 for PreK expansion; and $120,000.00 for the Early Childhood'Prevention Initiative (0-3). The board reviewed the Treasurer's Report and budget reports as of Aug. 31, 2025.
Next steps: board members were told recommended changes to the district's 403(b) plan from consultants at TCG/HUB will return for a vote on Oct. 2, 2025.
