Marshall Board Adopts Amended FY26 Budget as O&M Fund Drops $226,000

Marshall Board of Education | July 16, 2026

Article Summary: The Marshall C.U.S.D. C-2 Board of Education on Thursday, July 16, 2026, held a public hearing and unanimously adopted an amended fiscal year 2026 budget recording a $225,963.87 negative change in the Operations & Maintenance fund’s ending net operating position. No one spoke at the hearing, and the minutes record no explanation of what drove the reduction.

FY 2026 Amended Budget Key Points:

The board adopted the amended FY 2026 budget “as presented” by roll call, with all six members present voting aye; Mrs. Hendrix was absent.

Superintendent Ross reported ending net operating fund changes of $1,418.59 in the Ed Fund, -$225,963.87 in Operations & Maintenance and -$9,684.99 in Transportation.

The minutes record that the amended figures had been on public display at the unit office for 30 days and that no public or written comments were received.

The meeting agenda listed the item only as “FY 2026 Budget Closeout Discussion.” It did not list a budget hearing or an adoption vote.

MARSHALL — The Marshall C.U.S.D. C-2 Board of Education on Thursday, July 16, 2026, held a public hearing and unanimously adopted an amended budget for fiscal year 2026, closing the books on a year in which the district’s Operations & Maintenance fund finished with a net operating change of -$225,963.87 against what had previously been budgeted.

Board member Macke, who called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. in the Marshall Junior High School library at 806 North 6th St., opened the hearing. Superintendent Ross reviewed the changes, which the minutes describe as having been discussed previously in May. There were no public or written comments. Macke then closed the hearing, and board member Gard offered a motion, seconded by board member Crews, to adopt the amended budget as presented.

The roll call was unanimous, with Crews, Morecraft, Lycan, Maurer, Gard and Macke all voting aye. Mrs. Hendrix was absent from the meeting.

Three Funds, Three Different Directions

The figures Ross presented moved in opposite directions across the district’s operating funds. He reported ending net operating fund changes of $1,418.59 in the Ed Fund, -$225,963.87 in Operations & Maintenance and -$9,684.99 in Transportation. Taken together, the three figures the superintendent cited represent a combined net reduction of $234,230.27 across those three funds — a combined total the district itself did not state, and one that does not account for any other fund the district may operate.

The Operations & Maintenance figure is by far the largest single movement in the record, accounting for roughly 96 percent of the combined reduction. The minutes do not say what caused it. They contain no line-item detail, no comparison to the originally adopted FY 2026 figures, no ending fund balances and no reference to an amended budget document, spreadsheet or hearing notice included with the board’s materials.

Illinois school districts that amend an adopted budget generally must place the amended document on public display for a period before the board votes on it, and hold a hearing at which residents may comment. The minutes state that the changes “have been available for public view at the unit office for 30 days leading into the June meeting” — a reference to the month before the July hearing at which the budget was actually adopted.

Agenda and Minutes Do Not Match

The published agenda for the July 16 meeting listed two old-business items: “FY 2026 Budget Closeout Discussion” and “Discussion of FY 2027 Budget.” Neither item was styled as an action item, and neither referenced a public hearing. The minutes, by contrast, record a full hearing on the FY 2026 amended budget, opened and closed by the presiding officer, followed by a roll-call vote to adopt.

The minutes contain no record of any discussion of the FY 2027 budget, the second item listed under old business.

For readers tracking the district’s finances, the amended budget is the last formal word on a fiscal year that ended June 30. The board’s next scheduled financial decisions concern FY 2027, for which the agenda anticipated discussion but the official record reflects none.

Superintendent Ross separately reported to the board on summer maintenance work and on the district’s health insurance renewal, both covered in separate stories in this package. The board also approved the June minutes, treasurer’s report and bills on a unanimous roll call as part of its consent agenda; the minutes do not state a dollar total for the bills approved.