Families across Indian Prairie School District 204 will see 15 new special education staff members in their schools this year, but the district will tap reserves to cover a $5.8 million budget gap.
The District 204 Board of Education approved the $476.4 million operating budget at its Monday, Sept. 28 meeting, as first reported by NCTV17. The spending plan is up roughly $21 million from last year and carries a planned one-year deficit equal to about 1.2% of total operating costs.
Chief School Business Official Matt Shipley told the board the gap stems from reduced federal Title I funding, rising costs for staff benefits and student transportation, and state revenues that have not kept pace with expenses. The district previously said the Title I cut totals $1.2 million, after its resident population fell below a 5% low-income threshold in U.S. Census data.
District 204 is absorbing that hit locally, spending $240,000 from its own funds on programs Title I previously covered and maintaining smaller class sizes at Title I-recipient elementary schools.
Even after drawing on reserves, the district will hold 32% of annual operating costs in reserve funds. Board policy requires a minimum of 25%.
Special education gains, overall staffing cuts
The budget's biggest new investment is in special education: 15 additional full-time-equivalent positions district-wide and an 18% increase in spending to transport students to out-of-district facilities. For families of students with Individualized Education Programs at Neuqua Valley, Metea Valley and feeder schools across the district, those hires could mean better staffing ratios in classrooms and therapy sessions.
At the same time, the district is cutting 20 full-time-equivalent positions overall, following a reduction of 10.5 positions last year, according to the Chicago Tribune. Salaries and benefits account for more than three-quarters of total spending.
Board member Susan Demming pointed to the district's staffing breakdown at the meeting: 95 administrators make up about 3% of 3,195 full-time-equivalent employees, fewer than the 102 secretaries and close to the 93 nursing, physical therapy and occupational therapy staff.
"I always feel it's important for us to remember that particular ratio that the majority of where our budget goes is not administration," Demming said.
How the district plans to close the gap
Shipley said the district has "initiatives and processes already in place to ensure the deficit is temporary." Those include reduced pay for retired teacher substitutes, energy efficiency upgrades and the planned return of freshmen to Neuqua Valley High School from the Birkett Center. That move alone is expected to save $2 million a year starting in the 2027-28 school year.
When the tentative budget was presented in August, Shipley said the district expected to return to balance quickly. "Our expectation is to have a balanced budget for next school year," he said at the Aug. 31 board meeting, as reported by NCTV17.
The district is also working with a consultant to review more than 200 initiatives for their cost and academic return on investment. Results are expected this fall.
Property tax levy up next
Property taxes fund about 78% of the district's operating revenue. The budget assumes a 2.7% levy increase based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
The board will hear an initial levy presentation on Monday, Nov. 9, with a final vote scheduled for Monday, Dec. 7. District 204 serves about 25,100 students and spends roughly $17,000 per pupil annually. The state's evidence-based funding formula funds the district at 80%, not the full 100%.
Capital spending this year totals $118 million, funded through $420 million in voter-approved bonds from a 2024 referendum. Major projects include work at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville and Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora.
