TTHS D205 outlines budget plan ahead of September hearing

Thornton Township High Schools District 205 officials presented the tentative budget for the 2026 fiscal year last month.

The district projects total revenues of around $163 million and expenditures of $187 million. The budget has an $114 million beginning balance and $115 million ending balance. Toriano Horton, chief school business official, said the education fund, specifically, is in strong shape with an expected balance of about $53 million.

Federal funding, however, has declined with the end of pandemic relief, leading to an overall $15.57 million decline in revenues for the district. But the revenue figures for the 2026 budget still reflect an upward trend in revenues for the past several fiscal years, largely driven by increases in state dollars over the past decade, according to Horton’s budget presentation.

Local property taxes make up the largest share of revenue at 44 percent. Evidence-based funding from the state now accounts for more than 30 percent. Horton emphasized the board’s effort to reduce the local tax burden. “Over the last six years, this board has given back over $35 million of tax relief to Thornton Township homeowners,” he said. 

According to Horton’s presentation, the district’s net tax collection rate has largely declined over the past 20 years, from 93 percent in 2004 to roughly 81 percent in 2024. However, that’s still high for a region known for high property taxes ans abysmally low collection rates.

Last year was the first time the district ended a fiscal year with more than $100 million in reserves. Officials expect that figure to reach approximately $150 million by the end of this fiscal year.

“We now have done it two years in a row,” Horton said.

Illinois law requires school boards to follow a set process before adopting an annual budget, including a public posting, newspaper notice, and a hearing. That hearing is scheduled for Sept. 10 with a board vote to follow.

Annual audit approval

The board approved a two-year contract with Zion & Company, operating as John Kasperek Co., to conduct the district’s annual audit at $77,000 per year financed through the general fund. Horton noted that Illinois law requires school districts to undergo an independent audit by a licensed CPA firm.

The audit will provide an outside opinion on whether the district’s financial statements fairly present its financial position and whether funds are being used in line with board policy and state and federal regulations. Auditors will also review the district’s internal controls and flag areas where procedures can be strengthened.

Newest board member

Nathaniel Bowman, a pastor at New Mount Tabor Missionary Baptist Church on Chicago’s South Side, was sworn into the board at the start of the meeting, appointed to fill a vacancy. Stafford Owens, elected in 2023 to a four-year term, abruptly resigned from the board in July. Bowman was assigned to the finance and facilities committee, giving him an immediate role in overseeing district spending and capital projects.

Title IX policy update under review

Associate Superintendent Jerry Doss revealed a major district policy change that will affect discrimination and Title IX regulations. Due to a federal court ruling striking down the Title IX Final Rule issued by the Biden administration in 2024, district policies must adhere to 2020 Title IX guidelines.

“So all of our Title IX policies are now being rewritten to comply with the 2020 standards from the first Trump administration,” Doss said.

The Title IX Final Rule aimed to expand Title IX protections to cover additional types of discrimination and harassment such as gender identity. The court argued that the new guidelines would affect the ability to foresee what conduct would violate the law and raise constitutional problems, namely free speech. 

The January ruling vacated those guidelines nationwide, forcing schools to revert to the narrower 2020 framework. 

The 2024 framework required schools to investigate a wider range of discrimination and harassment cases, including protections for LGBTQ+ students and off-campus incidents. Now, schools are required to only investigate formal complaints that take place within school programs or activities.

The policy changes will go into effect upon approval in September after a 30-day review.

Student experience highlights

Gus Yiakos, a Thornwood division leader, recapped two international trips from the last school year. Seven culinary students traveled to Italy where they visited farms, learned pasta-making and studied cheese production. Twelve fashion students traveled to Paris where they attended industry events, including Paris Fashion Week. Yiakos said the programs gave students hands-on learning opportunities in their fields while also exposing them to different cultures.