Waukegan Public Schools will hold a community budget update on March 18 at 6 p.m. through a live broadcast on the District 60 YouTube channel, according to an announcement from district officials.
The event aims to inform families, staff, and community members about the district’s financial outlook and budgeting process as planning continues for the 2026-2027 school year. District leaders will provide an overview of finances, explain how budgets are developed, and discuss decision-making processes that support students and schools. Attendees will also have the opportunity to submit questions during the live session.
Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 serves Lake County and includes schools such as Andrew Cooke Magnet Elementary School, Carman-Buckner Elementary School, Clearview Elementary School, Daniel Webster Middle School, Early Learning Center, Glen Flora Elementary School, Glenwood Elementary School, Greenwood Elementary School, H.R. McCall Elementary School, Hyde Park Elementary School, Jack Benny Middle School, John S. Clark Elementary School, Little Fort Elementary School, Lyon Magnet Elementary School, Miguel Juarez Middle School, North Elementary School, Oakdale Elementary School, Robert E. Abbott Middle School, Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Washington Elementary School, Waukegan High School and Whittier Elementary School according to the Illinois Report Card.
The district enrolled 15,332 students in the 2019-2020 school year and serves grades pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in Waukegan and Lake County according to the Illinois Report Card. The student population is made up of approximately 3.2 percent White students, 13.2 percent Black students, 79.5 percent Hispanic students and 1.3 percent Asian students according to the ISBE.
Financially, Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 spent $23,429 per student in 2020 for a total expenditure of $359 million according to state data. The district employs over one thousand teachers with an average salary of $63,524 before pension contributions; women make up more than seventy percent of teaching staff and there were no teachers with more than ten absences in a school year according to state records.
Chronic truancy remains a concern for the district: In the 2020 school year there were over three thousand chronically truant students—defined as missing five percent or more of mandated school days without valid excuse—resulting in a chronic truancy rate of twenty-one percent compared to a statewide average of just under ten percent as reported by ISBE.
District officials encourage all stakeholders to participate in tonight’s event as they continue efforts toward responsible planning for future academic years.
