Fort Atkinson projects roughly $500,000 deficit for 2025–26 but fund balance remains healthy

Nathan Knitt, director of business services for the Fort Atkinson School District, presented a preliminary 2025–26 general fund budget to the Board of Education on June 19, 2025, saying the district currently projects about a $500,000 operating deficit for the coming year while maintaining a multi‑year fund balance the administration called “very healthy.”

Knitt told the board the district is projecting $43,700,000 in general fund revenues for 2025–26 and is seeing expenses rise because of assumptions that include a 4.75% salary increase (CPI plus market adjustments), a 7.3% rise in health insurance costs, a 7% increase in property insurance and a 14.6% increase in workers’ compensation. He said the district is using a 30% special‑education reimbursement rate for forecasting rather than the statutory 33.3% to reflect recent reimbursement experience.

Why it matters: Knitt emphasized that most revenue is outside local control and that state budget action will materially affect the…