Vigo County Schools: 2025 revenues nearly match expenses as enrollment falls 551 students

Mrs. Thomas presented the district's 2025 financial review, telling trustees that the education, operations and operating referendum funds together account for roughly $166.8 million of the district's receipts and that 2025 revenues and expenditures were nearly equal.

"In 2025, education fund revenue totaled just over $117.8 million," Mrs. Thomas said, explaining that tuition support (state aid) totaled about $115.6 million and that the basic foundation amount for Vigo County was $7,973 per student for the 2025–2026 school year.

The presentation called attention to a district enrollment decline: "Our enrollment declined from 13,160 students in the fall of '23 to 12,609 students in the fall of '25," Mrs. Thomas said, noting that loss of students reduces tuition support and creates structural budgeting challenges.

Budget slides showed education fund expenditures of about $101.5 million in 2025 and that roughly 89% of those expenditures were personnel costs (about $90.6 million including fringe). The district transfers education fund dollars to the operations fund by statute to cover operational costs; the transfer in 2025 was just under $16 million, about 13.6% of education fund revenue.

The operations fund revenue was about $40.4 million in 2025, the presentation noted, and the operating referendum fund, approved by voters in 2019, generated about $1.54 million in 2025 and supports teachers, counselors, school protection officers and transportation fuel; the referendum tax rate will sunset in 2027 if not renewed by voters.

Mrs. Thomas and other presenters warned of continuing fiscal pressures: circuit-breaker tax cap losses (about $8.5 million in 2025) that reduce collections, the expiration of ESSER federal funds that temporarily supported many programs, and the need to plan cash-balance targets under new board policies. They said the district had used rolling GO bonds to shift some large maintenance costs out of the operations fund and that future decisions about issuing such debt will affect fund balances.

Board members commended staff for conservative budgeting and the district's use of reserves to avoid cutting recurring services, while acknowledging that reserves represent only a few months of cash-on-hand and that ongoing fiscal discipline will be required. The board did not take an immediate vote on budget changes during the presentation and asked staff to return with any additional requested detail.