Indian Prairie School District 204 has adopted a new spending plan that adjusts for the loss of $4 million in COVID-era relief funding — with minimal effect on the classroom, officials say.
The school board passed the 2024-25 budget Monday, committing to spend $472.9 million to fund operations, debt repayments and capital improvements.
The operating budget is balanced, with a predicted surplus of $221,280. But because of the end of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds issued during the COVID-19 pandemic, the district lost $4 million and cut the equivalent of eight full-time positions.
“We did ultimately have a decrease in staffing,” school board President Laurie Donahue said. “But nothing that would impact teaching resources.”
Shifting positions
Administrators rebalanced staffing to protect classroom positions and provide extra support where it’s needed most, such as adding six core teaching positions at the middle school level and 10 certified nursing assistants across the district.
The district also recommitted to funding capital projects across its 34 schools, serving students from parts of Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook and Plainfield.
“Over a long period of time, we underspent in the maintenance area, and there’s only so long you can do that for,” Donahue said.
While Donahue said a district of 204’s size needs to spend roughly $9 million a year on facility maintenance, in some years, officials only could allocate $3 million. This year’s budget funds $13 million in capital projects, many of which took place over the summer.
Matt Shipley, chief school business official, said the work included new parking lots and roofs at some schools, plus installation of new playgrounds at Georgetown, Gombert, Graham and McCarty elementary schools.
Flooring replacement at some of the district’s older buildings also took precedence this summer with funds from the newly passed budget.
“We had schools with 30-year-old carpet. You can imagine how gross that is,” Donahue said. “We’re very good at cleaning, but there’s only so much you can do.”
Property values, taxes both rising in District 204
The average value of a home in the district is roughly $500,000, Shipley said, and that number has been on the rise. Because of increasing property values, the district issued its lowest property tax rate in 10 years. The average homeowner will see a projected tax increase of 3.4%, which is less than the current rate of inflation, Shipley said.
District 204, however, strongly depends on local property taxes as “our most significant revenue source,” Shipley said.
“It’s 78% of our total revenues,” he said. “We’re very dependent on our property tax base to fund our schools. That’s one of the continual talking points with our board — that the state support has not kept up with recent challenges with inflation and rising costs.”
Ballot question on the way this November
The 2024-25 budget is balanced as is, but Shipley said the district doesn’t have a source for continued capital improvements for long. Without additional money, the district would run out of funds for the minimum facility work needed during the 2026-27 year.
That’s why the school board earlier this month approved the placement of a referendum question on the Nov. 5 ballot. The question asks whether the district can incur new debt to replace existing bonds taken out to build Metea Valley High School, which will be paid in full by the end of 2026. If voters approve the proposal, taxes would not decrease with the expiration of the Metea bonds. The district would continue to tax at the same rate, take on new debt and use the money for safety and security upgrades.
“We are asking the community to continue that levy so that we are able to issue a new round of capital financing,” Shipley said. “If the community approves that, we would make pretty significant improvements that really impact all district facilities.”
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