The Glencoe District 35 school board has passed a new budget that reflects expenditures for renovations at Central School.
The elementary school board approved a Fiscal Year 2025 spending plan with approximately $34.3 million in revenues and about $36.6 million in expenditures at its Sept. 12 meeting.
Director of Finance and Operations Jason Edelheit tied the deficit to an increase in capital spending led by an ongoing $4.5 million renovation of sections of Central School, where fifth through eighth graders attend.
Still, he noted, expenditures are down just over 7% or $2.8 million from the 2024 fiscal year.
Board President Kelly Glauberman offered a similar perspective in an interview after the meeting.
“Our increased costs in this particular fiscal year come from our capital improvements, the largest being the addition at Central School,” she said. “That project is paid for through our Capital Improvements Fund.”
Also on the expenditure side, budgeted salaries are expected to increase nearly nine percent (or over $1.8 million) with $1.13 million of that amount going to teachers as part of their new contract. In April, the school board approved a new five-year pact with the Glencoe Education Association, the union representing the District 35 teachers, featuring salary raises of between 4.5 to 5.5 percent each year. Salaries and benefits account for 75 percent of district expenditures, according to Edelheit.
Edelheit said overall revenues are expected to decrease 3.6 percent due to delayed receipt of county property taxes last year and conservative estimates of Fiscal Year 2025 income.
“We received FY 23 money in FY 24 so that artificially inflated FY 24 so when you compare that FY 25, it looks like it’s going down,” Edelheit said after the meeting. “It throws off the comparison.”
Finally, Edelheit noted the rate of return on district investments was higher than any other previous year that he could recall.
“The district has never seen interest income at this level,” he said.
He noted 97 percent of the budget comes from local sources led by property taxes, with the remainder being state and federal funding. Edelheit said this would be the last year of the district receiving federal government funds through a bill passed in Washington during the height of coronavirus pandemic.
Edelheit said there would be approximately $100,000 in funding this year. He said the district has previously used that money for “flexible seating” at West School.
“Flexible seating and desks create a dynamic and adaptable learning space that benefits students’ comfort, engagement, and collaboration, while also providing teachers with versatile tools for enhancing instruction and classroom management,” Edelheit explained. “Movable seating and desks facilitate group work and peer interaction. Students can easily form groups, share ideas, and collaborate on projects, which promotes communication skills and teamwork.”
Edelheit offered an overall assessment of the state of the District 35 finances to board members.
“The District remains in a strong position but we need to be mindful about adding costs and programs that are sustained,” he said.
Edelheit said the property tax levy process would start in October with the final levy anticipated to be passed in December.
In a separate part of the meeting, Edelheit provided a progress report on the Central School upgrade, noting renovated classrooms, a nurse’s office and teachers’ lounge were operational on the first day of classes. In addition, administrators have moved into their new offices.
Edelheit said the hope is for a late October opening for a new entrance to the building.
In another project, Edelheit said the South School playground surface was painted gray this summer. He said gray will lead to a cooler temperature, as opposed to black.
He pointed out there were landscape enhancements and that new benches at South (the district’s school for kindergarten through second grade) were also added at the playground.
