The Sept. 30 board meeting covered various topics, including the approval of the Kaneland CUSD #302 2025-26 budget, approval of the Fox Valley Career Center’s (FVCC) 2025-26 budget and an update on construction planning.
The meeting began with a moment of silence for the recent passing of high school special education teacher Kevin Larson, who had served Kaneland students and families since 2006.
High school math teacher Susan Acksel gave thanks to the district for the support plan after the death of Larson.
“It means a lot to us, and the response I received when I contacted any of them that the staff needed something was almost immediate,” Acksel said.
District Assistant Superintendent for Business Dr. Jackie Bogan gave an overview of the district’s budget. This year’s operating budget totals $77,900,000, with a total district budget of $115,900,000. The total budget is higher than in prior years, which is due to the addition of bond proceeds from the first sale in early July.
The operating expenditures are slightly lower than last year. Bogan anticipates the overall budget deficit to be $180,000, which is being driven by operations, maintenance and transportation. This means the deficit was reduced, which makes it more manageable to make overall decisions. The district is also only operating at a deficit in two out of four operating funds, which means there was no need to submit a deficit reduction plan to the state of Illinois this year.
Bogan also discussed revenue for the district. The local tax levy does remain the primary driver and source of revenue for the district, and this makes up a 2.5% increase in total operating revenue. Kaneland’s funding from the state is flat to prior years, which represents a total of $7,300,000. Kaneland is a tier four school district. This year, Kaneland is only receiving an additional $3,500 in new tier money.
Transportation reimbursements for this year are projected to be $1,600,000 for regular transportation, which is slightly higher than the tentative budget. This is based on last year’s reimbursement claim, which was $1,500,000. If the state met its obligated reimbursement and reimbursed Kaneland at 80%, there wouldn’t be a deficit. Bogan believed that this budget reflects a responsible and conservative approach. It balances the needs for students, staff and facilities while carefully monitoring expenses. The board ultimately approved the budget.
The board then began discussing the approval for the FVCC’s 2025-26 budget. Bogan provided the board with an overview of this budget. She explained that Kaneland is an agent for the FVCC. Because of that relationship, the board is required to adopt and approve their budget. The FVCC board of directors approved this budget at their Sept. 3 meeting. This budget is the result of student enrollment that directly affects staffing and operational costs for the FVCC. By the 11th day of enrollment, the FVCC had 386 students, which was slightly less than last year’s total of 395. The number of students is used to calculate the member school district tuition contribution.
In terms of revenue, the FVCC is going to receive $330,988 through the technical education grant, which is a slight decrease from last year. On the federal side, they received an increase of $18,910 last year, which brings their federal total this year to $53,177. These additional funds allowed the FVCC to reduce local spending on materials and supplies for their programs. There was a small increase to the professional service line to cover any costs for any potential program expansion. There was a $2,000 dollar increase for substitutes based on the historical needs of the program. Overall, the final budget represents a 0.2% increase from last year, which is a $6,690 increase. The FVCC has their budget balanced. They believe that their revenue will exceed spending by $1,063. The FVCC typically doesn’t like to keep hold of unspent funds but instead use them for any operational needs. The board ultimately approved the FVCC’s budget.
Superintendent Dr. Kurt Rohlwing updated the board on what is being implemented with the new construction from the referendum starting to develop. Since the last update, the district has met with core planning teams for academics and athletics. They hold bi-weekly meetings and provide feedback to work towards a master plan. The district has chosen to work with Cunningham Recreation and install playgrounds utilizing Game Time as the manufacturer.
Rohlwing held student panels for feedback at the district’s four elementary schools. A playground core meeting group met last Wednesday and will meet again on Oct. 1. Members of administration and the architects met with science teachers and Youth Advisory Board (YAB) members to get feedback about necessary changes at Kaneland High School. Additional user group meetings have been scheduled, as it is important to work with end users of the new construction. It is also important to work with teachers, as they will work in these spaces every day. Batavia-based Interiors for Business (IFB) has been chosen as the furniture partner for projects at Kaneland. Kaneland has worked with them on numerous different projects in the past.
In the near future, more user group meetings will be held. The committee also plans on creating playground layouts to share information with the core planning team and internal stakeholders. They will meet internally with the transportation and maintenance departments to define the plans for facilities.
Rohlwing asked Kaneland cross country and track coach Chad Clarey to recognize senior Jack Nevenhoven. Nevenhoven is a Life Scout for Troop 7 who is working for a position as an Eagle Scout. He created a project to help get him that position and to help the future of Kaneland cross country. He created, measured out and placed bricks all over the cross country route for runners to have markers to know their distance and how much running they have left. Nevenhoven was able to do this through the support of his cross country teammates and the Boy Scouts in his troop.
Rohlwing also honored custodians and shared his gratitude for them, as National Custodian Day is Oct. 2.
At the end of the meeting, Student Representative Sophia Schroll discussed various student topics. The varsity football team fell to Morris High School on Sept. 26 and are now 4-1. They will play Sycamore High School this Friday, Oct. 3, and Rochelle High School on Friday, Oct. 10, for Kaneland’s homecoming game. Schroll also brought up the boys soccer season. They are 5-11 in the regular season, but 5-0 in conference. The cross country program hosted their 55th annual Larry Eddington Invitational, where sophomore Carson Kaiser placed first in the three-mile run, and the Kaneland boys team placed fifth overall with 166 points, while the girls cross country team placed 13 out of 17. The girls golf team won the conference championship for the second year in a row. To secure this win, senior Kailey Kunstman placed first, senior Brighton Davoust placed sixth and senior Addison Runestad placed seventh. Schroll also mentioned that powderpuff preparation has begun. Senior and junior girls are preparing to play each other during their homecoming week game. The Homecoming theme this year is Sunset in Santorini. Class officers and student council members continue to prepare for hallway decorating that will take place in advance of homecoming week. DECA went on their first fall leadership field trip, where they gained basic business knowledge.
The next board meeting will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 15.
