District 214 discusses 2015-2016 budget uncertainty

Northwest Suburban High School District 214 discussed preliminary guidelines for its 2015-2016 budget on Thursday night, but officials' uncertainty in Springfield about school funding may make the process more difficult.

"There's an awful lot of unknowns with the state budget," said Superintendent David Schuler. "We're going to build a conservative budget, but we don't have a real idea of where things will end up."

Projected operating and working cash fund revenues for the 2015-2016 budget are estimated at $238 million, while expenses are estimated at $245 million.

Schuler said the district intends to present the board with a balanced budget as in previous years, so tough decisions will need to be made over the next few months.

Gov. Bruce Rauner gave his budget address this week and the General Assembly is expected to approve a final budget by the end of May, but sometimes those discussions extend into the summer.

Most of the district's revenue comes from property taxes, and most of its expenditures go to salaries and benefits for employees.

The district's equalized assessed valuation continues to drop. The 2013 valuation was $7.4 billion, compared with $10.4 billion in 2010. "That means everyone's tax bills are going to go up no matter what," board member Todd Younger said.

The consumer price index, which limits how much districts can increase its levy under tax cap laws, is also down to 0.8 percent versus 1.5 percent last year, said Cathy Johnson, associate superintendent for finance and operations.

Taxes and fees from the Affordable Care Act will cost the district an additional $260,000.

The board will approve the preliminary budget guidelines in March and a final budget in September.

The district's fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30.