District overview
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
Grayville Community Unit School District 1 runs two schools in Grayville, Illinois: Wells Elementary School (PreK-5) and Grayville Jr Sr High School (grades 6-12), with about 230 students in fall 2026. Money comes from Illinois' Evidence-Based Funding formula, local property taxes (the yearly tax levy) and state and federal grants. A seven-member elected Board of Education sets the budget and levy and hires the superintendent, who is also the junior/senior high principal. The district leans on 50/50 state maintenance grants for building work and shares services with nearby districts and the Regional Office of Education.
The board approved a 4.99% property tax levy increase on November 19, 2025. The next levy is up for discussion in October-November 2026.
The 2026 health plan renewal cost 17% more. In October 2026 the board planned to seek new insurance bids.
Dr. Ben Vinyard replaced Eric McCollum as superintendent/principal on July 1, 2026.
The FY25 audit gave the district Illinois' top financial rating of 4.0, reported in November 2025 minutes.
The FY27 budget was adopted on September 16, 2026, but the budget document itself is not posted online, so total spending is not shown here.
Down from 121 at the end of 2025-26.
57 junior high and 66 high school students as reported; those parts add to 123, so the reported total may contain an error.
The district also gets a $4,500 yearly lease payment for 25 years, which goes to the FFA.
Marion Glass will replace windows at the elementary and junior/senior high buildings for $140,510, installed on weekends so classes are not interrupted.
State 50/50 school maintenance grants (SY25 and SY26); the district asked the City of Grayville for TIF money toward about $90,000 of its share
New backstop, fencing, dugouts, dirt work and grass for the softball field.
District funds plus $10,000 donations from Tri-County Bank and Fairfield National Bank
Electric ceiling heaters for Wells Elementary hallways (approved May 2026) and new HVAC controls at the junior/senior high (July 2026). A solar array went live in spring 2026. Rooftop units for Wells Elementary, estimated at $207,000, were considered but not approved.
State school maintenance grant; the board applied for the FY27 grant in September 2026
Grayville CUSD 1 (White and Edwards counties)
Illinois school board members are elected at the consolidated election, which is April 6, 2027. Candidate petitions are filed November 16-23, 2026. Which Grayville seats are up and who is running were not yet published when checked; the district crosses White and Edwards counties.
Official source · verified Oct 30, 2026
Practical guides to school phone policies, district budgets, and administrator hiring.
Explore resources →Collected from the public Google Drive PDFs linked on the district's Google Site (www.gcusd.com): every board agenda and set of minutes from October 2025 to the October 21, 2026 agenda, the September 2026 budget hearing, the board meeting-date list, the board policy manual, the 2026-27 school calendar, a budget hearing notice and a shared-services report. Scanned agendas were read with OCR.
We read every agenda, packet, recording, and set of minutes, and write up the decisions that affect families — each one linked to the document it came from.
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