Tentative Dist. 204 budget calls for $16 million in upgrades

It's not the normal excitement of trophies, graduation and scholarships, but there's still a buzz at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville.

This summer and next, it's about concrete and asphalt.

As part of the $422.7 million tentative budget for the 2023-24 school year, Indian Prairie Unit District 204 officials are proposing $16 million for capital improvements in addition to 19 new full-time positions.

According to Matt Shipley, the district's chief business official, addressing deferred maintenance remains a budget priority. For Neuqua Valley, which opened in 1997, that means replacing the aging, original concrete surrounding the campus.

Approval of the 2023-24 budget is expected at the school board's Aug. 21 meeting. District 204, the state's fourth-largest school district, serves 26,000 students in Aurora, Bolingbrook, Naperville and Plainfield.

"Principal (Lance) Fuhrer down at Neuqua is probably the most excited person I've ever seen regarding asphalt and concrete," Shipley told the school board at Monday's meeting. "He has been thrilled with this project."

With $423.3 million in revenue, the district is expecting a $572,700 surplus for the coming school year and an increase in the district's fund balance to $150.9 million.

The financial boost, Shipley said, is due partly to updated census data that nearly doubled to $1.7 million the district's Title 1 funding, which is distributed to schools with large numbers of students from low-income families. The district also received a $3 million increase in investment returns.

About 76% of the district's revenue comes from property taxes. The same percentage of expenditures go toward salaries and benefits.

"We felt that (census) data really hasn't been representative of our district and what we see in our buildings," Shipley said. "We are fortunate that the data is starting to catch up a little bit with what we see in our student population."