The District 57 Board of Education voted on Sept. 23 to approve the fiscal year 2025–26 budget after a public hearing and a presentation by Jason Case, the district’s assistant superintendent for finance and operations.

Case told the board the operating revenue for the year is “just over $37,700,000” and projected expenditures are “just over $35,600,000,” not including referendum bond proceeds. He said the operating surplus—after setting aside $2,000,000 annually for capital projects—is “just over $113,000.” Case also said the district sold revenue bonds in July and expects $34,000,000 in bond proceeds that are earmarked for construction at Lincoln and Westbrook and therefore largely excluded from operating charts presented at the meeting.

Case described the budget process and assumptions: the district starts budgeting in March with staffing-plan approval, uses a largely zero-based budgeting approach each year, and separates operating funds from referendum dollars to make baseline operating decisions clearer. He noted that local revenue, principally property taxes, makes up most district funds; corporate property replacement tax and interest earnings rose in recent years but are expected to normalize.

After the public hearing, the board moved to approve the budget. The motion was seconded and passed on a roll-call of recorded “yes” votes from Member Leto, Member Nelson, Vice President Cho, Member Dorna, Member Frey, Member Quelcher and President Betty Kell.

Case said the district will reconvene its Citizen Finance Advisory Committee to craft five-year financial projections, model the impact of full-day kindergarten anticipated for 2027 and review the effect of the recent bond sale and potential additional non-referendum bonds.

The district posted a budget report in the board packet and on its website, and Case said the board would submit required financial documents to the state as part of compliance filings.

The board’s adoption of the final budget followed an earlier Aug. 21 approval of a tentative budget and the required public inspection period of at least 30 days leading up to the public hearing recorded on Sept. 23.