Taylorville School District was honored with four ‘commendable’ scores from the Illinois State Board of Education but staffing, budget concerns, and rising insurance premiums, were again a topic of discussion. On Wednesday night, the Taylorville CUSD #3 Board of Education heard seven presentations and one public comment during their regular monthly meeting for November. Taylorville School District is currently facing a budget deficit of over $950,000 this year and Board members voted to approve ‘taxable general obligation limited tax school bonds’ in the amount of $983,500, to make up for this shortfall.
Budget concerns are far from over when considering the next three years. Superintendent Brandi Bruley shared that the school district expects most sources of revenue to remain ‘flat.’ The cost moving forward for the district will only continue to climb however. Bruley’s budget projection is only an estimate, but by the 2028-29 school year, Taylorville School District could find themselves nearly $6.5 million short on their expected operating costs.
Bruley stated that she is looking into everything she possibly can to find where money could be saved. The most difficult way of cutting costs comes with the issue of potential over-staffing. For reference, in 2018, TCUSD #3 had 2,488 students and 129 teachers. Today, the district is down to 2,051 students currently enrolled, but has 16 more teachers now with 145 total across the schools.
All four schools: North, Memorial, Junior High and High School received commendable designations from ISBE. Each of the school’s principals presented the Board with the results of the surveys, noting there is always room for growth.
During public comments, Steve Walters, Taylorville Cross Country head coach, talked success his teams had over the season.
Walters went on to talk about two student athletes in particular, both Elayna Harker and Liam Bettis enjoyed high placements at the state finals.
The Board moved to new business and approved the beginning fund balance disclosure and proposed tax levy hearing for December 9th, 2025. A 6 – 0 vote in favor of new Workers Comp Insurance and an ISBE school maintenance grant application were also heard. Approval of the district’s safety plan and procedures and local wellness policies was also garnered.
The meeting would last 1 hour and 29 minutes. The Taylorville School Board of Education will meet next for the tax levy hearing on December 9th, 2025, prior to their regular monthly meeting for December that same night.
