New Lenox D122 Board Approves $74.1M Budget for 2025-26 School Year

New Lenox School District 122 Meeting | September 2025

Article Summary: The New Lenox School District 122 Board of Education formally adopted its budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, projecting $74.1 million in revenue against nearly $69.7 million in expenditures. The budget anticipates a $4.4 million surplus, continuing the district’s long-term strategy of using operating surpluses to fund capital projects without incurring new debt.

Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Key Points:

• Total Revenue: $74.1 million

• Total Expenditures: $69.7 million

• Projected Surplus: $4.4 million

• Estimated Ending Fund Balance: $43.9 million, or 63% of annual expenditures.

The New Lenox School District 122 Board of Education on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, approved the legal budget for the 2025-2026 school year, which projects revenues of $74.1 million and expenditures of just under $69.7 million. The budget was adopted following a brief public hearing where no comments were made.

Business Manager/CSBO Robert Groos presented a financial overview, explaining that the final figures were updated since the tentative budget was approved in June. The final budget reflects a slightly decreased revenue and expense forecast, resulting in an increased projected surplus of $4.4 million, up from the tentative $4.0 million. The district is estimated to end the 2025-2026 school year with an operating fund balance of $43.9 million, representing a healthy 63% of annual expenditures.

Mr. Groos reiterated the district’s financial pillars, noting that about 80% of revenue comes from property taxes, while approximately 80% of expenses are for salaries and benefits. He highlighted the district’s long-standing financial philosophy: balancing the budget annually, maintaining healthy cash reserves, and structuring programs to generate a yearly surplus.

“We have a surplus each year with which we then use to fix up our buildings instead of incurring debt,” Groos stated, according to meeting minutes. He pointed out that the district has completed about $36 million in capital projects over the past 11 years, all paid for with cash reserves.

The board approved the budget resolution on a 6-1 vote. Board member Al Haring cast the sole dissenting vote.

In a separate discussion, the board also authorized the administration to apply for a School Maintenance Project Grant from the State of Illinois. The matching grant, worth up to $50,000, would be used to help cover a portion of the costs for the upcoming Tyler Elementary HVAC Renovation Project, which is estimated to cost over $8 million. To be eligible, the district had to reserve the required $50,000 in local matching funds and certify that construction on the project has not yet begun.