With enrollment and costs going up and tax rates capped, the tentative 1996-97 budget for School District 159 shows a slight deficit, Supt. Roger Reardon told the School Board Wednesday.
Reardon said the $10 million budget could end up in the red by about $100,000.
Enrollment at Mokena Elementary School and Mokena Junior High School is expected to pass the 2,000 mark, and the district has hired more staff, including seven full-time teachers, a computer technician, teacher aides and bus drivers. Costs for utilities and supplies also are rising, he said.
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Reardon said revenue from property taxes, which are capped in Will County, accounts for about 58.9 percent of the revenue for the district’s operating funds, with about 32 percent coming from the state, about 1.5 percent from the federal government and about 7.6 percent from other sources, such as fees.
The projected $100,000 shortfall may not be a large one, he said, but it causes concern.
If the budget cannot be balanced, he said, school officials may have to consider asking voters for a tax increase.
The School Board approved the budget by a 6-1 vote.