Mokena 159 Receives Clean Audit Report, Earns State’s Highest Financial Recognition

Mokena School District 159 Board of Education Meeting | October 15, 2025

Article Summary: Mokena School District 159 has received the State of Illinois’ highest financial rating after an independent audit of its 2025 fiscal year found the district’s finances to be in good order. While the audit noted some funds exceeded their budgets, the amounts were within state-allowed thresholds.

FY2025 Audit Key Points:

• The annual audit, performed by Lauterbach & Amen, LLP, resulted in an “unmodified opinion,” indicating a clean report.

• The district again received the “Financial Recognition” score, the highest possible rating from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

• The audit noted that some funds exceeded budgeted expenditures, a recurring comment, but the amounts did not trigger a state requirement for a formally amended budget.

MOKENA, IL — The Mokena School District 159 Board of Education on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, accepted the district’s annual financial audit for the fiscal year ending in 2025, which once again earned the state’s top rating for financial health.

Don Shaw of the auditing firm Lauterbach & Amen, LLP presented the findings, reporting an “unmodified opinion” on the district’s finances. The only modification noted was the district’s use of a modified cash basis of accounting, which Shaw explained is a common and permissible practice for school districts. “It was an otherwise clean audit year in which we found no issues with internal controls or the numbers as they’re presented,” Shaw stated.

Dr. Teri Shaw, the district’s Chief School Business Official, announced that the district received the “Financial Recognition” score from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), its highest rating.

The audit’s management letter included a recurring recommendation for the district to investigate why certain funds exceeded their budgeted expenditures. Board member Kelli MacMillan questioned the repeated finding. The auditor explained the comment was “more informational” than a “red flag,” noting the overages were well below the 10% threshold that would require the district to file an amended budget with the state. “It’s really hard for you to just put a straight cap with the budget when you have all these different factors that go on throughout the entire year,” Don Shaw said.

The full audit report and the Annual Financial Report (AFR) submitted to ISBE are available on the district’s website.