Ferguson‑Florissant finance workshop outlines $5.4 million projected deficit; board and staff plan community budget committee

Ferguson‑Florissant School District officials told the Board of Education at a finance workshop that the district’s adopted 2025–26 budget shows a projected deficit of $5,400,000 and that a comparison limited to operating funds (funds 1 and 2) reflects a projected deficit of roughly $4,800,000.

The presentation, led by new Chief Financial Officer Tony Chance and supported by consultants from MoASBO and the Missouri School Boards’ Association, sketched revenue and expenditure sources, identified recent contributing factors and outlined next steps including a community budget and finance committee and additional public workshops.

The shortfall, Chance said, stems from multiple items: one‑time federal ESSER funding that peaked in fiscal 2022–24 and is now declining, a dip in property tax collection rates since the COVID years, enrollment and attendance declines, higher staffing costs and increases in purchased services when vacancies were filled through agencies. “If you compare the revenues and expenditures of the 20 five‑twenty 6 budget, it shows a projected deficit of $5,400,000,” Chance said.

Why it matters: the district’s operating fund balance percentage — the commonly used measure of how many months of spending the district can cover from reserves — has been squeezed in recent years, and Chance’s slide deck showed salaries and benefits account for about 77.7% of expenditures. The district’s two primary operational funds (general and teachers’ funds) are central to decisions about staffing, programs and day‑to‑day operations.

Key figures and budget drivers

- Projected 2025–26 overall deficit (all funds shown in the budget column): $5,400,000 (presentation figure). - Projected operating (funds 1 and 2) deficit in 2025–26: about $4,800,000 (presentation figure). - Federal funds: ESSER and other Title funds supported higher federal revenue in fiscal years 2022–24; those levels return to more typical amounts in 2024–25 and 2025–26. - Recently frozen federal Title II, III and IV funds affecting the district total roughly $950,000, or about $108 per pupil, according to Chance’s slides. He described those funds as frozen (not permanently removed) under current federal impoundment activity. - Revenue mix shown in the presentation: local property taxes nearly 60%, state revenue about 30%, federal under 10%, and other under 1%. - Expenditure mix shown: salaries and benefits ~77.7%, purchased services ~11%, supplies ~5%, capital outlay ~3%. - Projected enrollment for FY2026 (DESE core data projection cited): 8,770 students.

Collection rates and local revenue

Board members pressed staff on property tax collection rates. Presentation slides compared levied amounts to actual collections and showed a drop in collection percentages in the years following COVID. The board and staff said the county handles tax collection but that the district is researching causes and pursuing remedies with Saint Louis County. “When you say community come alongside us, help us, we’re saying pay your taxes. Help us because that’s how you help the district,” board member Mister Tyson said during the public discussion.

Staff cautioned that some levy/assessment disputes and protests in reassessment years can affect revenue timing and final amounts. District leaders noted that collection volatility makes conservative assumptions important when preparing preliminary budgets for future years.

Next steps and community engagement

Administrators said the finance review is a multi‑part workshop series. Staff announced a plan to create a budget and finance advisory committee that will include community volunteers; a QR code was provided at the meeting for residents to register interest. The district also highlighted statutory deadlines that will shape the calendar: the ASBR submission to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is due Aug. 15, the board must set the tax levy in a meeting typically scheduled the last Wednesday in September with an Oct. 1 county submission deadline, and the annual audit must be finalized by Dec. 31.

Outside review and internal follow‑up

Pam Frasier, director of school finance for the Missouri School Boards’ Association, said she and other consultants are supporting the district’s review but that deeper expenditure analysis will come in later workshops. “I have not done a deep dive yet; that’ll come as we move forward to the next sessions,” Frasier said.

Board discussion and audience remarks

Board members and community speakers emphasized regional enrollment trends and the local housing market as part of the financial picture. Audience members and board members urged examination of capital projects funding, tax increment financing (TIF) expirations, collection practices for McKinney‑Vento transportation billings and long‑range (three‑ to five‑year) budgeting. One community speaker, John Flick, urged residents with finance experience to join the proposed advisory committee.

What the board decided

No new spending authorizations or program eliminations were adopted at the workshop. The board did adopt the meeting agenda and consent agenda at the start of the meeting and later moved to adjourn; the presentation itself generated direction for further study, public engagement and committee formation rather than immediate policy action.

Ending

District staff said they will return with deeper analyses in subsequent workshops, produce clearer definitions and a glossary for terms such as “purchased services” and break out Title I–IV program details for public understanding. Administrators asked the public to register for the budget and finance committee and said they will coordinate future meeting logistics and opportunities for public questions during live streams and in‑person workshops.