Maine Township High School District 207 approved its annual budget with a surplus in major funds. Property tax and state fund receipts are expected to increase, district finance officials indicated.
The district’s Board of Education approved a budget of $212,586,997 at its Aug. 7 meeting. The spending plan covers the final portion of the district’s capital improvement plan and forecasts a $9.5 million increase in revenue overall.
In an executive summary of the budget, district officials said they planned to abate, or not collect, $2.3 million worth of taxes in response to that increase.
The budget also plans for a decrease of $180,000 in contributions and donations and a small increase in money from the state of Illinois, per an executive summary by district staff.
There was no public comment on the plan at a public hearing held directly before the Board of Education’s regular August meeting. At the hearing, board member Teri Collins asked whether state and federal funding for career and technical education would remain consistent.
Assistant Superintendent for Finance Mary Kalou said the state must supply career and technical education grants in order to receive federal funding for the same area.
“Given all of the attention and focus both at the federal and state level on vocational education…these are secure funds,” she said.
The 2023-24 budget covers the final stage of the district’s capital improvement plan, for which voters first approved $195 million in bonds in 2018. The plan covered about 50 construction projects at the district’s three high schools, including classroom upgrades, accessibility, secured entrances, some building additions, relocation of school services, and replacement of outdated plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems.
The district said it would pay for the rest of the planned projects using about $45 million in reserve funds.
This year’s spending plan allows for about a 5% increase in staff salaries, a new special education teacher for vision and more driver’s education instructors, according to the budget approved Aug. 7.
It also allocates money to employ athletic trainers on 12-month contracts who previously worked on 10-month contracts, a multilingual program director at the district level and multilingual services instructors at Maine South High School, per the approved budget document.
