Mundelein High gets new $45.9 million budget
Mundelein High School's new $45.9 million budget includes money to renovate four classrooms, expand a chorus room and resurface the tennis courts, among other projects.
The school board approved the budget Tuesday. The new fiscal year began July 1.
The budget is down about $9.8 million from the previous year's $55.7 million spending plan.
School Business Manager Andy Searle attributed the drop to an expected decrease in construction spending, thanks to the completion of a $23.7 million addition this summer. The three-story addition is dedicated to science, technology, engineering and math education.
An $8.3 million state grant is helping to pay for the project. Most of the bills for the project were paid during the 2016 fiscal year, Searle said.
The end of that construction project doesn't mean there won't be hard hats and construction equipment on campus this fiscal year.
Improvements were made this summer to rooms in the fine arts department.
Not only was the chorus room expanded, but the floor and lighting systems were replaced. The adjoining dressing rooms and office space were improved, too.
"The dressing rooms received new countertops, mirrors, and lighting," Searle said. "The office space was renovated to include two new voice practice rooms, as well as office space for band and chorus."
Additionally, four science labs in an older part of the building were converted into traditional classrooms to be used for math education.
"The renovated room specifications match those of the classrooms in the new addition, so there is consistency moving forward," Searle said.
The tennis courts are being resurfaced, too.
All those projects are expected to cost about $700,000, he said.
The budget predicts the district will receive about $48.4 million in property taxes, fees and other revenue this fiscal year. That's up from the previous year's $38.9 million estimate.
The figure rose, in part, because the state grant that will help pay for the recent addition should be delivered this fiscal year, Searle said.