Discussions Focus on MMS Softball, Baseball Field Needs, State Testing, School Safety Report
Following a public hearing Monday evening, which did not include any input or feedback from community members during the time allowed for public comments, the Macomb Community Unit School District (MCUSD) No. 185 Board of Education voted 6-1 to accept the district's 2026-2027 budget. Board member Justice Keene cast the lone 'no' vote.
The education fund is budgeted for $28.3 million in revenue and $30.9 million in expenditures, reflecting investments in staff, programs and facilities, as well as safety and security mandates. The $2.5 million deficit was projected and expected, explained Superintendent Mark Twomey. The district continues to prioritize fiscal responsibility, he added, while also preserving the 'healthy' fund balance that's currently in place.
'I'm very conservative when I do the budget, which means I take every expense and I say, 'What's the worstcase scenario?' And I push it to the worst-case scenario almost across the board because it's, one, much easier to manage that throughout the year, and, two, we are so dependent on state payments, which aren't always timely,' Twomey told the media following the meeting. 'While the budget shows a $2.5 million deficit, I think we had a similar deficit last year and we managed it to around a $500,000 deficit. I'm not sure we'll be able to manage this in quite that much, but this was planned. We gave a really good contract to our employees, so we knew this was going to be a period where we deficit spend.'
In addition to unfunded mandates, another hurdle faced by the district is that the state's Evidence Based Funding (EBF) is decreasing from 73 percent to 61.8 percent for Fiscal Year 2027. While the EBF adequacy funding is decreasing, Twomey explained there is approximately $1.2 million in new state allocated funding coming into the district.
