The Fairfield School District treasurer has recommended to the school board that the district place an operating levy on the November ballot. Treasurer Nancy Lane presented a five-year forecast of revenues and expenses to the school board at its work session on Thursday, May 5. It showed the district would have less than $75,000 left at the end of the 2011-12 school year. That’s less than one day’s operating expenses in the 10,000-student district.

In regard to local funding, the last operating levy for the schools was seven years ago and the district is still operating on that. State funding was reduced last year and is going down again this year. The school district has responded by cutting $6 million out of the budget, said Superintendent Cathy Milligan.

“It gets to a point where you can no longer make adjustments and make it work and still offer the same kinds of programs that we believe the community expects for its students,” the superintendent said.

Jerome Kearns, the school board president, said that “the conversation needs to change. It needs to move from cost cutting to raising revenue.” He said the school board will discuss the treasurer’s recommendation for a November levy at its next meeting, and urged the community to attend the meeting and be part of the discussion.

The next school board meeting is at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 19, in the Community Room at Fairfield High School. The meeting will open with the annual presentation of Golden Apple awards, which is expected to take 30 to 40 minutes. Other board business will immediately follow the awards. All school board meetings are open to the public. Each member of the public can address the board for up to five minutes during the public comment period of the meeting.

Treasurer's Five-Year Forecast

Notes and Assumptions to Five-Year Forecast

Treasurer's presentation at May 5 school board meeting