(ABC 6 News) — Money problems are soon to be a thing of the past for the Byron school district.
The school board gave a financial update during its first regular meeting on Monday, November 17 after voters passed a $1.9 million referendum on Election Day.
RELATED: Byron voters approve both questions of school referendum
“Looking at this and comparing where we were this year to last year as a percentage, right in line with where we expect to be,” said Shawn Elsbury, the district’s Executive Director of Finance and Operations.
Money has been a primary concern for school board leaders since an audit in early 2024 found errors in the district’s budget that lead to overspending.
RELATED: Auditors find Byron School District is $2 million over budget
Thanks to the referendum passing, Byron Public Schools will be turning a new page in 2026.
“It’s a really great sign of trust when a community votes in support of a school district and we want to continue to be the sort of place that deserves and earns that trust,” said Supt. Nate Walbruch, who was hired in April, partly due to his experience in passing school referendums.
RELATED: Byron Public Schools officially signs Nate Walbruch as superintendent
Walbruch says the school district was able to earn back some of the trust lost by community members when the previous budgetary issues were discovered thanks to improved communication over the decisions made by people in the head office and the needs of the schools.
“I’m also gonna tell you what’s, what’s happening, good, bad and otherwise, and that’s the tone that we’ve set so far and that’s the tone that we’ll continue to have,” said Walbruch.
Though the money levied from the referendum won’t make its way into the district’s pockets until July, a sense of financial stability is already forming.
“The biggest piece for me obviously is looking at our expenditures cause that’s where we have the most control,” said Elsbury. “Everything is tracking fantastically right now.”
The next steps for the school board will be to revise the current budget, draft the 2026-2027 school year budget and develop a strategic five-year plan for how to best use the funds coming in from the referendum.
“Now that we have a stable future, what does the community want to see Byron schools focus on? You know, what’s really important to our community?” said Walbruch.
Walbruch says the average Byron homeowner will see their property taxes raise by a little less than $40 in 2026.
You can learn more about how your taxes will be affected at the district’s Truth in Taxation meeting on Monday, December 15.
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