District 159 Board Gets First Look at FY26 Budget Draft, Education Fund Deficit Noted

MOKENA, Ill. – The Mokena School District 159 Board of Education received its first look at the fiscal year 2026 budget this week, kicking off a two-month process of review and revision before a final vote in September.

Chief School Business Official Dr. Teri Shaw presented what she called a “very, very rough first draft” to the board on Wednesday, emphasizing that it is a preliminary document based on historical data.

“There is so much information that I don’t have yet, like our funding from ISBE, any of our grants, the 843 budget, our transportation report,” Shaw explained. “So, this is a budget based on the last three years.”

The initial draft, provided to board members in a manila folder, highlights a projected deficit in the Education Fund. “The Ed fund is really where we have a deficit budget,” Shaw said. “So we’ll be really looking at the Ed fund hard.”

Conversely, the Operations and Maintenance referendum fund shows a planned deficit, which Shaw noted is by design to spend down the fund balance as intended. Other funds were described as “looking pretty good.”

The budget timeline will continue at the August 13 meeting, when the board is scheduled to vote on approving the tentative budget for a mandatory 30-day public display period. A public hearing and a final vote on the budget are scheduled for the September 17 meeting. Board members will submit questions on the draft for administrators to address before the August vote.