Publications & Sites 
Hinsdale High School District 86 proposes $102 million budget
Updated: August 27, 2012 10:52AM
HINSDALE — Hinsdale High School District 86’s tentative budget for next school year has $102 million in expenses, which includes $17.2 million in capital projects. The work, which is under way at both the Hinsdale Central and South campuses, is being paid for with the proceeds from $18 million in bonds issued earlier this year. Improvements include air conditioning, safer entrances and easier student drop-off and pick-up at both schools
When the construction projects are excluded, revenues of $84,776,000 are forecast to exceed expenses of $84,747,000 by about $29,000.
Revenues budgeted for next school year include $72.8 million in property taxes; $3.8 million from the state and $1.3 million in federal funds. The state’s contribution is expected to be about $100,000 less than last year because of a reduction in reimbursement for transportation costs.
“That’s our anticipation from what they’re telling us,” District 86 Superintendent Nicholas Wahl said.
The district also expects to receive about $320,000 less in federal funds, due to the loss of special education grants through the Individuals with Disabilities Act, Wahl said.
Board member Richard Skoda noted the education fund was projected to have a deficit of about $423,000, with revenues estimated at $67.1 million, and expenses projected to be $67.5 million. The tentative budget forecasts revenue in the education fund will increase, 2.1 percent over last year, while education expenses will rise 2.4 perent.
Wahl said administrators monitor the fund balances, and overall, “this is a surplus budget we are presenting.”
The budget for operating expenses includes an estimated 2.5 percent raise for teachers, although their salary increases have yet to be determined. The teachers contract expired June 30. Negotiations on a new contract are not scheduled to begin until September, district officials said.
The tentative budget can be reviewed online at the district website, hinsdale86.org or at the administration center, 5500 S. Grant St.
A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for the Sept. 24 School Board meeting, during which the Board likely will vote on the budget.
Board member Dianne Barrett asked district administrators to include the budget for the previous school year when presenting the budget for the new school year, so the two could be compared.
Skoda agreed that the board should be able to compare the proposed budget with either last year’s budget or actual revenues and expenses from the previous year.
But School Board President Dennis Brennan vetoed the idea.
“No, we should start at zero, create our own assumptions and then put the numbers in,” Brennan said.
If anyone wants to review earlier budgets, they can be seen on the district website, administrators said.
However, that is no easy task, as the new budget and last year’s updated budget are presented in two different formats, making like comparisons difficult to calculate.
Wahl said using the forecasted revenues and expenses for the upcoming school year as a starting point, rather than last year’s numbers, is “very proactive.”
“The fund balances are solid and that’s the key factor,” Wahl said.
