North Egypt News

School districts across Jefferson County held a combined $30.8 million in long-term outstanding debt as of fiscal year 2024, amounting to 31.7% of the area’s total allowable borrowing capacity, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Under Illinois law, districts may only borrow up to a certain limit based on their Equalized Assessed Value (EAV)—a standardized measure of taxable property used to determine legal debt caps.

Based on the school district's enrollment of 5,057 students, the countywide debt translates to approximately $6,086 per student as of fiscal year 2024.

The county includes 12 school districts, of which Mount Vernon Township High School District 201 held the most debt, totaling $12.6 million.

Mount Vernon Township High School District 201 ranked 258th statewide among all 851 Illinois districts reporting outstanding debt.

Among the school districts in Jefferson County, Field Community Consolidated School District 3 used the highest percentage of its EAV-based debt limit at 6.1%, holding $2.7 million in outstanding debt with 279 students enrolled—approximately $9,557 per student. Bluford Unit School District 318 ranked second, using 5% of its borrowing capacity with $2.8 million in long-term debt and an enrollment of 374— $7,401 per student.

Countywide, students identifying as white comprised the largest ethnic group in Jefferson County schools, accounting for 82.5% of the total enrollment. The second-largest ethnic group was Black, comprising 11.7% of the student body.

The data was obtained by Wirepoints through a Freedom of Information Act request to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Illinois has enacted a law that changes the amount of debt school districts can issue. According to an analysis by Chapman, the new rules permit school districts to borrow more money than previously allowed. At the same time, the law modifies limits on property tax extensions that fund this debt. As a result, if districts take on more debt, local property taxes could increase to cover the additional costs.

The Illinois State Board of Education’s budget for fiscal year 2026 will increase from nearly $10.8 billion to about $11.2 billion. This includes a $307 million boost for K–12 schools, marking the smallest annual increase since 2020.

The agency has paused about $50 million in funding previously allocated through the Evidence-Based Funding formula for the Property Tax Relief Grant while reviewing its impact on local tax relief. Officials say the pause could affect the timing and amount of property tax relief available to taxpayers.

The annual reporting aims to increase transparency and accountability around school debt. Future reports will include 15 years of historical data, allowing residents to track long-term financial trends.

County Rank	State Rank	School District	Outstanding Debt	Percentage of Debt Limit Used	Percentage of EAV Used	Enrollment
1	258	Mount Vernon Township High School District 201	$12,554,985	34.4%	2.4%	1,205
2	403	Mount Vernon School District 80	$5,875,576	33.4%	2.3%	1,483
3	486	Woodlawn Unit School District 209	$3,782,200	25.9%	3.6%	511
4	538	Bluford Unit School District 318	$2,767,924	36.2%	5%	374
5	543	Field Community Consolidated School District 3	$2,666,368	88.5%	6.1%	279
6	606	Rome Community Consolidated School District 2	$1,485,000	45%	3.1%	332
7	695	McClellan Community Consolidated School District 12	$413,557	23.4%	1.6%	43
8	704	Farrington Community Consolidated School District 99	$318,166	34.4%	2.4%	50
9	705	Summersville School District 79	$316,000	13%	0.9%	279
10	720	Opdyke-Belle Rive Community Consolidated School District 5	$250,000	10.3%	0.7%	145
11	732	Spring Garden Community Consolidated School District 178	$178,556	6.1%	0.4%	218
12	735	Bethel School District 82	$169,790	4.1%	0.6%	138