Annual report: Which school districts in Illinois are in the worst financial shape?

Harrisburg Community Unit School District 3, Allendale Community Consolidated School District 17 and Jasper Community Consolidated School District 17 are area districts listed among those that received the lowest financial ratings in Illinois by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) for their 2018 finances.

ISBE started profiling the financial health of the state’s school districts in 2003, using experts to evaluate five areas: fund-balance-to-revenue ratio, expenditure-to-revenue ratio, days cash on hand, percentage of short-term borrowing ability remaining, and percentage of long-term borrowing ability remaining. The results are combined into a score, which corresponds with one of four designations.

Districts that score between 1 and 2.61 are on “financial watch”; between 2.62 and 3.07 – “financial warning”; between 3.08 and 3.53 – “financial review” and between 3.54 and 4.00 – “financial recognition”.

Twelve Illinois school districts fell into the lowest financial strength category. Another 33 were designated “early warning”, 111 were under “financial review” and 695 achieved “financial recognition”.

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200 unhealthiest Illinois school districts