River Trails Board approves $55.84 million FY25 budget amid debt-service concerns

The River Trails School District 26 Board of Education adopted its FY25 budget on Sept. 10, approving total expenditures of $55,844,655 and projected revenue of $33,255,612.

Assistant Superintendent for Business Ryan Berry presented a side-by-side comparison of budgets and actuals, noting FY24 budgeted expenditures of $40,942,916 and FY24 actual expenditures of $34,433,224, and FY24 budgeted revenue of $31,598,253 versus FY24 actual revenue of $34,172,819. The budget was opened for public hearing at 7:01 p.m.; no members of the public asked questions during the hearing.

During discussion, Board Member Louis Camardo raised concerns about the district’s debt-service plan and its reliance on future budget assumptions, saying "the district may have no funds available or borrowing ability if the schools run into a large unexpected expense." The board moved to approve the FY25 budget (motion by Rebecca Pfisterer; second by Kimberly Bianchini). The motion carried: AYE — Grimpe, Freedlund, Pfisterer, Bianchini, Rognstad; NAY — Camardo.

What this means: the district will operate under the approved FY25 financial plan while administration monitors debt-service schedules and cash flow. Mr. Berry also presented an enrollment update as part of the Business Services report; detailed enrollment figures were included in the board packet but were summarized during the meeting rather than read verbatim.

Next steps: Administration will implement the FY25 spending plan and report on key financial indicators to the board at future meetings.