Increases in costs for local school districts, especially with transportation, put a damper on the budgets. Despite the challenges, Monmouth-Roseville Superintendent Ed Fletcher informs the Board of Education has passed a balanced budget:
“We approved the budget for Fiscal Year 2026. This year we have a balanced budget. Supplies for operations and maintenance and those types of things are going up and have continued to go up the last few years. Transportation costs, leases have increased significantly. We had a large bump recently where it was about a 50 percent increase, now we are starting to see and we renew our leases, they are more manageable. Cumulatively, over the last few years, they have just increased significantly. As a superintendent you look at where you can take other restricted funds and you have to cover that there is always a deficit because the transportation money we get from the state is being prorated. The max levy for that, our costs are about $1.6 million, and we are able to levy 40 cents and that brings in maybe $200,000. Your levy does not even cover it. You just have to move money around form different funds. Our budget this year is around $20 million.”
The six day total enrollment in the Monmouth-Roseville School District reported to the Illinois State Board of Education is 1,482 students.
