Minooka 201 2025-26 budget could include 6% tax levy increase

While there are still a number of moving parts, officials in Minooka Community Consolidated School District 201 have in place a preliminary operating budget for the 2025-26 school year as classes are about to resume.

Minooka 201’s board recently adopted the K-8 district’s preliminary spending plan. The vote set the stage for an upcoming formal public hearing set for Sept. 15. The board is slated to adopt a finalized budget that same date and have in place a solidified document by the state’s Sept. 30 deadline.

Mary Robinson, director of finance and operations, combed through Minooka 201’s preliminary 2025-26 school year budget at the board’s July 21 meeting, before the draft document received board approval.

Based on preliminary information, Robinson said Minooka 201 is anticipating a 6% increase in the 2025 property tax levy, which itself is based on a 9.44% increase in equalized assessed valuations across the district’s geographic footprint in the multiple communities and counties it serves.

Minooka 201 Superintendent Rachel Kinder said taxation and spending priorities are reviewed annually as components of the budget are finalized.

“We do recognize the significant investment that our community makes,” Kinder said. “We know that in Illinois, the state funding model puts the burden on that local tax base, so we’re very well aware of that. We don’t take that investment in the community very lightly.”

One lingering issue, federal funding contributions, was reviewed during the recent budget discussion because there are still lingering questions about how much — and where specifically — monetary contributions will come out of Washington, D.C.

In particular, unknowns have loomed over Title III and Title IV funding, which supports English language learners and post-secondary education initiatives, respectively.

When asked by the board about a possible back-up plan for some of the programs covered through federal funds, Robinson said outright elimination would not be pursued since the programs are in place and the school year is on the cusp of beginning.

“We’ll look first at the expenses,” Robinson said in addressing the hypothetical shortfall. “For some of the things, we’ll basically try and absorb them into the budget elsewhere. This late in the game, it’s not really easy to just say, ‘Oh, we just won’t purchase those things, because they’ve probably, more than likely, been planned for, so we’ll just look to absorb them with other resources.”

Kinder said she was optimistic federal funding would continue to assist portions of Minooka 201’s budget in specific targeted areas.

“We’re cautiously optimistic about other federal sources as well, including IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), Medicaid and Title I,” Kinder said.

Overall, across the broader financial picture, Robinson said she is anticipating an overall surplus of $1.03 million, including a $285,849 operating surplus.

This calculation brings the district in line with the board’s fund balance policy of at least 25% to help ensure there is enough cushion within the reserves if any unexpected expense were to occur within the course of the operating year.

“There’s a lot of factors that might change … but we appear to be in good shape for next year,” Robinson said.