District 91’s school board unanimously approved its fiscal year 2026 budget, which allocates funds for the renovation of the middle school science labs, upgrades to various HVAC systems and increased funding to support a growing number of low-income families in the district.
The plan, which outlines $21,949,406 in revenue and $24,231,731 in expenditures, was approved by the school board on Sept. 11.
In addition to $750,000 for remodeling science labs and upgrading HVAC systems, other expenditures include student outplacement tuition, transportation and food services and 12 permanent substitute teachers.
Robert Hubbird, District 91’s interim superintendent, presented the budget to the board during the meeting. Hubbird said the 12 permanent substitute teachers are a valuable asset due to their familiarity with students and staff and their understanding of the district’s climate and culture.
“They’re really helping out,” he said.
According to Hubbird, enrollment in the district has increased for the past couple years as a result of District 91’s additional full-day pre-K.
“I think that if we continue to build a quality educational program, more and more families will come into Forest Park,” he said.
During the enrollment report, Hubbird presented a graph showing trends in the number of students identified as low-income over the past 18 years.
“That number has been steadily increasing over time which means the needs of the children we serve and the families that we serve have been increasing, so we want to make sure that we are allocating funds that meet their needs,” he said.
Hubbird said a growing number of students served by the district come from diverse backgrounds, including those from low-income families, English language learners, and students with unique learning needs. Over the past four years, the number of multilingual students within the district has doubled.
“That growth has only strengthened our commitment to meet each child exactly where they are, and to give them the tools, support, and encouragement they need to thrive,” he said.
That commitment is reflected by the district’s operating expense per student, which is about $35,600. According to data presented by Hubbird, the per-student operating expenses have continued to grow over the past three years.
“We value smaller class sizes and smaller caseloads for our special ed teachers, so that means we have more staff in those positions which increases our per-pupil spending,” he said. “It’s higher than the districts around us, but we are also doing more.”
Hubbird said the district continues to ensure that families are not paying for school supplies, field trips or registration fees. He also noted that each of the district’s schools — Garfield Primary School, Betsy Ross Primary School, Field-Stevenson Intermediate School, and Forest Park Middle School — has a dedicated social worker.
“At the end of the day, every student deserves to feel seen, supported, and capable of reaching their full potential, and we are deeply proud to keep building on that commitment,” Hubbird said.
On the revenue side, there is currently a delay in the disbursement of local tax funds from the county. Hubbird said the Cook County clerk’s office does not have an answer yet regarding when those funds will be distributed. In order to make up for that delayed revenue, Hubbird said the district is using cash reserves. As a result, District 91 will use about one-third of its reserves by December 2025.
According to Hubbird, some districts in the area are facing financial strain due to the delayed funding and have been forced to borrow money to maintain operations. However, District 91 has not had to secure a loan for operational expenses in more than 15 years.
“The Forest Park School District 91 Board of Education has done a great job over the past 15 years to make sure we have reserves for times like this,” Hubbird said.