The Naperville District 203 school board has asked district administrators to cut nearly $12.4 million out of the projected 2026-27 budget when it’s submitted for their review in May.
Board members were briefed Monday on an updated look at the five-year financial forecast, which indicates years of deficits are ahead.
The 2025-26 fiscal year budget is expected to end about $5.3 million in the red, and future budgets beyond the 2026-27 fiscal year will continually get worse if nothing changes, district documents show.
The fiscal year 2027-28 budget deficit is forecast to be about $14.8 million and fiscal year 2028-29 is likely to have an $18.5 million funding gap between revenue and expenditures, drawing down the district’s surplus balance, documents show.
“Next year’s current projected deficit remains greater than $12 million and will continue to grow as annual expected expenditures outpace the change to expected revenue,” district Chief Financial Officer Mike Frances said.
In light of those numbers, the board wants the administration to put together a balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year that would include a combination of increased revenue sources and spending cuts.
Frances said the district plans to advocate that lawmakers in Springfield provide for more state revenue so that funding levels more accurately reflect the cost of state mandates.
For instance, if the state fully funded transportation expenses, the district would receive an extra $2.3 million, board President Charles Cush said.
“Because they are not fully funding it, that’s $2.3 million we have to make up from other things,” Cush said. “And the cost of transportation continues to increase year after year.”
Frances acknowledged that any requests for state funding are unikely to produce more money for the next budget.
“I’m not going to be rolling the dice thinking the state is going to fund more,” he said.
School board members and district staff plan to attend a lobby day in Springfield and advocate for increased funding, joining the Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Association of School Administrators and Illinois Association of School Business Officials in the push.
Increasing fees could be another source of new revenue, but wouldn’t cover the deficit, Frances said. Fees make up about 1% of the budget, he said.
“It would help close that gap, but is certainly not going to solve the problem,” he said.
The district also plans to reduce discretionary spending, eliminate or scale back nonessential expenses, consolidate duplicative resources and streamline staffing to align positions to current enrollment and student needs, Frances said.
Various departments are in the process of preparing their budget requests, Superintendent Dan Bridges said. The administration is also going through its staffing projections, which will be brought to the board in March.
Looking at the expenditures would help the district close the gap the most, Bridges said.
Member Holly Blastic said she would like as few student-facing educators to be impacted as possible.
“We want as many educators and staff hands-on with our kids as possible,” she said. “The fees aren’t going to make the difference. Springfield, at least this year, isn’t going to make the difference. As hard as it is, I do recognize that nipping this now and addressing it now is going to save us money down the line.”
Board member Joe Kozminski said the board will likely face tough decisions, but they are “the right thing to do in the long run.”
“We need the finances healthy for the long term,” he said. “If we keep pushing it forward, it’s just going to compound.”
The school board on Monday also heard options for increased fees, which will be voted on at the Feb. 17 meeting. On the table are increases for early childhood education, the sixth-grade heart monitor strap and driver’s education.
A proposal for the Ann Reid Preschool would increase the monthly cost from $265 for half-day preschool to $300, if approved. Full-day preschool would increase from $580 to $650 monthly.
General school fees are proposed to increase anywhere from $2 to $4 depending on grade level.
The heart monitor used by the sixth grade would increase from $18.25 to $32.
About 90% of high school course fees will be unchanged for the 2026-27 school year, officials said. Typically, the district charges fees for classes that require workbooks, novels or lab supplies and any changes reflect increases in publisher prices or printing costs or revisions to the curriculum.
Driver’s education is proposed to increase from $400 to $500 for the semester-long course. Even with an increase, it doesn’t cover all the costs necessary to run the program, Bridges said.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
