Hamilton City Board approves four-year forecast as officials warn of flat state funding and enrollment declines

The Hamilton City Board of Education on Oct. 9 approved the district's required four-year general-fund forecast and heard a detailed presentation on the district's fiscal outlook that emphasized flat state revenue, continued enrollment declines and potential property-tax limits proposed at the state level.

District finance presenter Jeremy Fraser said the district expects roughly $117 million in general-fund revenue and about $122 million in general-fund expenditures for fiscal year 2026, producing an estimated deficit of about $4.7 million this year and a projected erosion of cash reserves in later years. "We are projecting a pretty flat revenue stream throughout the forecast period," Fraser said, citing a 0% assumed increase in the state's Fair School Funding Formula base cost and the possibility of a property-tax cap tied to CPI.

Board members and district leaders said the forecast is meant to be a conservative planning tool and that the district will continue weekly financial reviews and scenario modeling. Superintendent Blevins described the forecast as a tool the district uses to examine proposals and their long-term fiscal effects;…