Naperville taxpayers are expected to pay about 2.9% more on District 203’s portion of the property tax bill after the school board approved its annual levy Monday.

Some board members were reluctant to approve the levy, which passed by a 5-2 vote, saying that inflation has taken a toll on homeowners’ pocketbooks.

However, other board members said they can’t rely on the state or federal government for any additional funding, and property taxes are the primary mechanism for funding the district.

School District 203 must file their levy, which is a formal request for property taxes, with Will and DuPage counties by the end of the month.

The district is asking for $315.1 million, which includes $212.9 million for educational purposes, $43.7 million for special education purposes, nearly $32.7 for operations and maintenance and $11.8 million for transportation, among other expenses.

The levy provides the district with more than 85% of its total revenue, its chief financial officer Michael Frances has said.  Property taxes are the largest source of revenue for Illinois public school districts.

For the owner of a home valued at about $400,000, the increase would be about $199 on the district’s portion of the tax bill, district officials said.

Board member Holly Blastic acknowledged that the district’s five-year financial forecast is in the red.

Last month, administrators said the fiscal year 2026 estimated budget will have about a $5.25 million deficit, while the projected fiscal year 2027 budget could have nearly a $12.6 million deficit.

“The levy is necessary because in past times we had federal stimulus dollars come in or investment money came in at a higher rate,” Blastic said. “Nothing is going to save us now. … State money is not coming in. Federal money is not coming in. This is the only thing that we can control.”

Board Vice President Kristine Gericke said the levy impacts board members as well.

“This is the way schools are funded,” she said. “I don’t know that anybody thinks this is the perfect system. I certainly don’t. … But we don’t have other avenues to raise the money that it takes to provide the education that the community expects.”

Gericke said the district values its employees and needs to be able to pay for its teachers and staff and educational programs.

“It’s a difficult decision,” she said. “I get it 100% because I will see a tax bill myself. But this is really the only option, and we do have the mechanism later to look at abatements if we find ourselves in a position to say ‘Hey, we can help out our taxpayers.’”

Board member Joseph Kozminski said the district’s citizens finance committee was supportive of the levy. A lot of the employees’ salaries are tied to the consumer price index, he said.

“The reality is we have to raise taxes in order to pay the bills, to pay the teachers, to keep the district going without going hugely in the red,” he said.

Board members Amanda McMillen and Melissa Kelley Black voted against the levy.

“I’m feeling really conflicted about approving this tax levy,” McMillen said. “I know that we have a very dire financial future, but the reality is that we continue year after year to put the burden on our taxpayers.”

She said the board needs to be mindful about the community, noting that about 15% of the residents are senior citizens.

“I would rather look at ways that we can create more efficiencies in our budget,” McMillen said.

Kelley Black said she is looking for increased fiscal responsibility.

Superintendent Dan Bridges said the board has made several efforts since 2017 for taxpayer relief.

In one example, Bridges said the board made an early payment of $9.5 million in bonds, saving $3.2 million in interest payments.

In total, the district has provide about $36.9 million in taxpayer relief between 2017 and 2024, Bridges said.

“We find ourselves in a challenging financial situation where we indeed will have to find efficiencies, we indeed will have to make reductions,” he said.

Board member Marc Willensky said if the district doesn’t raise revenue, cuts to services will be more impactful in the future.

“If we don’t do it, it’s just going to put more pressure on us in the future years to make even bigger cuts than we may be expecting to our budget,” he said.

Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/16/district-203-tax-levy-hike-deficits/