District 207 board tentatively approves $223.5M budget for new school year

An artificial turf athletic field and security upgrades are among the big-ticket projects in Maine Township High School District 207’s proposed $223.5 million budget for the new fiscal year.

The school board tentatively approved the spending plan Monday night. A final vote is expected in September.

The 2027 fiscal year began July 1. School districts typically approve budgets after the start of a new fiscal year, rather than before.

Spending is expected to be about $17.3 million greater than the $206.2 million budgeted for the previous fiscal year, a roughly 8% increase.

District 207 spokesperson Brett Clark attributed the increase to capital projects and inflationary increases to employee salaries and benefits.

New stadium turf at Maine West High School in Des Plaines is expected to cost about $3.5 million. Instead of the traditional green, the turf being installed this week is blue — lagoon blue to be exact, according to manufacturer FieldTurf’s website — to match the school’s blue-and-yellow color scheme.

The stadium previously had a grass field.

Maine South High in Park Ridge has had artificial turf in its stadium since 2021; Maine East, also in Park Ridge, will get it next year, Clark said.

“(Turf) has become more of a standard in the area,” he said.

The new spending plan also sets aside more than $6 million for security upgrades, including electronic key fob readers that are being installed on all first-floor hallway doors in the district’s three schools this summer. They will allow classrooms doors to be locked automatically and will better control access after hours.

The same type of equipment will be installed on upper floors next summer, Clark said.

Additionally, partial roof replacements at Maine East and Maine West are nearly complete, at a budgeted cost of $3.2 million.

Revenue from property taxes, fees and other sources should be about $227.5 million this year. That's up about $7.2 million from the previous fiscal year's $220.3 million estimate, a roughly 3% change.

The district’s annual income is higher than usual in part because new Cook County property tax refunds were delayed, Clark said.

More than 6,200 District 207 students are expected at the start of the new school year, Clark said, up from the 2025-26 term. Classes begin Aug. 12.

rlissau@dailyherald.com