Huntley 158 finance update: Skyward rollout, tax computations and bond schedule

Huntley Community School District 158's finance team told the Committee of the Whole on April 2 the district has launched Skyward for purchasing and payroll and completed initial training and a test payroll run.

Mr. Al Meyer said administrative staff have entered multiple purchase orders into Skyward and that the HR and payroll teams tested processes ahead of the April 10 payroll. He said staff expect additional implementation work next week but that the system is functioning for core tasks.

Meyer also updated the board on final tax-computation figures received from county assessors. He said an earlier McHenry County preliminary new-construction estimate of $76 million did not align with King County (Kane County in regional terms) numbers; after reconciliation the transcript records a preliminary new-construction figure of about $60 million, which staff said contributed to increased assessed values. Meyer noted an operational tax-rate change reported in the presentation and said staff will discuss the debt structure and funding opportunities at the April fiscal workshop.

The board reviewed the February executive financial summary: operating deficit of approximately $3 million attributed to timing differences in revenue recognition and payments; capital outlay showed near-full utilization because summer projects were completed earlier; federal-revenue reimbursement timing (Medicaid, National School Lunch, IDEA reimbursement) was noted as a factor in revenue percentages. Staff flagged health-insurance large claims in the pipeline and their influence on the FY27 budget.

Finance staff invited all board members to a deep-dive fiscal workshop scheduled next week to review capital, debt and long-term budget options.