Kildeer Countryside 96 Among Top Suburban Districts Holding Millions in Reserves: Report

BUFFALO GROVE, IL - Kildeer-Countryside Elementary School District 96 has over 180 percent of the amount it spends annually in operating costs in reserves, which is well over the Illinois State Board of Education recommended minimum of 25 percent, a recent Daily Herald report found.

And the local school district is not alone. The Daily Herald analyzed 93 suburban school districts and found 18 school districts that had enough in reserves to cover a full year of expenses while 2/3 of the school districts had 50 percent or more in reserves.

District 96 topped suburban districts with the most in its reserves compared to how much it spends in expenses each year, according to the Daily Herald. The school district has $89.2 million in its reserve funds and spends $48.8 million in expenses each year. And that is money that remains after the school district recently spent $9 million to provide all-day kindergarten, built running tracks at its middle schools and purchased iPads for all of its students, the Daily Herald reports.

The Daily Herald analysis found other school districts with highest percent of reserves compared to expenses are:

• Grass Lake Elementary District 36 -- Total reserves, $6.1 million; expenses, $3.6 million
• Des Plaines Elementary District 62 -- Total reserves, $110.1 million; expenses, $69.5 million
• Grant High School District 124 -- Total reserves, $40.4 million; expenses, $25.8 million
• Lisle Unit District 204 -- Total reserves, $44.4 million; expenses, $29.9 million

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