Round Lake board places FY27 tentative budget and FY26 amended tentative budget on display

Finance staff presented the district's tentative FY27 operating budget for display and a tentative amended FY26 budget. For FY27, staff reported operating revenues and expenditures showed no material change overall and described a $600,000 planned transfer to cover part of an Apple lease payment, with some lease payments proposed to be drawn from debt-service fund balance to preserve education-fund reserves.

On the FY26 amended tentative budget, staff reported a $526,000 increase in operating revenue driven largely by grants, offset by matching expenditure increases. The amended FY26 budget also reflected added transfers and capital-project closeout costs, including an upward revision to the baseball/softball field project estimate (previously $3.5 million, now estimated at about $4.3 million). Administration said the all-funds deficit projection improved from about $3.0 million to roughly $2.7 million.

Board members asked clarifying questions about longevity and severance modeling, special-education cost monitoring, tuition and registration fee collections, and options for corporate tax impacts related to new commercial development in the district. The board voted to place both the FY27 tentative budget and the FY26 tentative amended budget on display and set a public hearing for June 15, 2026 at 7 p.m. as required by Illinois School Code.

Next procedural steps: the budgets will be publicly displayed for 30 days, and administration will return with any refinements ahead of adoption.