Illinois school districts issue Life Safety bonds under 105 ILCS 5/17-2.11 for documented safety deficiencies. Districts spending from the FPS (Fire Prevention & Safety) fund while having NO 17-2.11 bonds on EMMA is a red flag — either (1) they are self-funding safety work without referendum authority, (2) the bond proceeds were misclassified, or (3) FPS fund is being used for non-safety purposes. Seven districts flagged statewide with this pattern including Rockford SD 205 ($4.5M FPS, zero LS bonds) and Decatur SD 61 ($3.3M FPS, zero LS bonds).
Districts showing active bond balances on EMMA but reporting $0 debt service in AFR data have a data mismatch requiring investigation. Either the district has not started repayment (draw-down phase), the bonds were refinanced without updating AFR classifications, or there is a reporting error. Five districts flagged statewide including Township HSDs 160, 208, 210 and Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy.
| District Name | County | Total Par | Bond Count | LS Bonds | EMMA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Ill Brd Ed | Cook | $11.54B | 260 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Illinois Finance Authority | Unknown | $2.70B | 519 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Illinois Edl Facs Auth Revs | Unknown | $2.68B | 159 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Illinois Fin Auth Rev | Unknown | $1.79B | 81 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Board Of Education Of The City Of Chicago | Cook | $1.29B | 5 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Illinois Student Assistance Commn Student Ln Rev | Unknown | $1.09B | 18 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Community Unit School District No. 204, Dupage And Will | Will | $925M | 130 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Illinois Dev Fin Auth Rev | Unknown | $846M | 75 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Community Unit School District Number 205 | Cook | $633M | 236 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Community Unit School District Number 201-U, Will Count | Will | $508M | 256 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Community Consolidated School District Number 50 Lake C | Lake | $497M | 230 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Community Unit School District Number 4 Champaign Count | Champaign | $492M | 76 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Community High School District No. 115, Lake County, Il | Lake | $489M | 90 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Community Unit School District Number 187 St. Clair Cou | Clair | $470M | 128 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Illinois Student Assistance Commission | Unknown | $462M | 3 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Community Consolidated School District Number 15 Cook C | Cook | $452M | 195 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Community Unit School District Number 308 Kendall | Will | $446M | 60 | — | EMMA↗ |
| J. Sterling Morton High School District Number 201, Coo | Cook | $420M | 60 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Community High School District Number 210 | Cook | $419M | 95 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Community Unit School District Number 365-U, Will Count | Will | $369M | 68 | — | EMMA↗ |
| School District Number 58 Dupage County, Illinois (Down | Dupage | $355M | 48 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Community High School District Number 307 Kankakee Coun | Kankakee | $323M | 160 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Community Unit School District Number 428 Dekalb County | Dekalb | $320M | 148 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Community Unit School District Number 300 Kane, Mchenry | Dekalb | $306M | 88 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Joliet School District Number 86 Will County | Will | $304M | 84 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Chicago Ill | Cook | $301M | 70 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Barrington Community Unit School District Number 220 | Lake | $299M | 75 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Community Consolidated School District Number 64 Cook C | Cook | $295M | 65 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Community High School District Number 111 Grundy | Will | $279M | 60 | — | EMMA↗ |
| Community Consolidated School District Number 34, Cook | Cook | $266M | 80 | — | EMMA↗ |
| District | County | Priority | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Of Chicago | Cook | CRITICAL | DEBT_SERVICE_HIGH: 661541819.0% of total expenditures BONDS_ZERO_DEBT_SERVICE: $42.4M bonds, $0 debt service |
| Cook County Illinois School District Number 78 Ros | Cook | HIGH | DEBT_SERVICE_HIGH: 30.2% of total expenditures |
| Cook County, Illinois, School District Number 89 ( | Cook | HIGH | DEBT_SERVICE_HIGH: 2765646.0% of total expenditures |
| School District Number 103, Lake County Illinois ( | Lake | HIGH | DEBT_SERVICE_HIGH: 1154987.0% of total expenditures |
| School District Number 89 (Maywood-Melrose Park-Br | Cook | HIGH | DEBT_SERVICE_HIGH: 2765646.0% of total expenditures |
1. For FPS/No LS Bond districts: FOIA district for (a) FPS fund ledger entries past 5 years; (b) board minutes approving FPS expenditures; (c) all life safety survey reports from ISBE/SFB; (d) any bond authorization resolutions.
2. For Zero Debt Service districts: FOIA for complete bond amortization schedule; trustee account statements; any defeasance or escrow agreements; bond counsel engagement letters.
3. For HIGH priority districts: Pull EMMA Official Statements → identify underwriters and bond counsel → cross-reference with ILSBE political donor database → check for KTJ or Sandner Group at 440 S. LaSalle.
4. Contractor cross-check: EMMA Official Statements list construction contracts for bond-funded projects. Cross-check contractor names against political donor list and against entities connected to Palumbo, Builders Paving, and DuPage political network.