Fairfield Union approves May five-year forecast, outlines $13M in proposed capital transfers and warns of 2029 deficit

The Fairfield Union Local School District Board of Education on May 19 unanimously approved its May 2025 five-year financial forecast, hearing from Treasurer Mrs. Roberts and Superintendent Bellville about proposed transfers to capital funds and risks that could leave the district running an operating deficit by 2029.

The forecast shows the district received about $29,000,000 in revenue so far this fiscal year, compared with $26.6 million the prior year, and has spent roughly $22,000,000 to date. "I still feel confident we're in good financial shape," Treasurer Mrs. Roberts told the board during the forecast presentation, but she said several variables could change the projection significantly.

Mrs. Roberts told the board the district faces two major pressures in the forecast: an expected $4.6 million reduction in revenue across the five-year window if the state does not implement previously anticipated base-cost increases to the school funding formula, and a roughly $3 million increase in purchase-service costs over five years driven largely by special-education placements and expanding preschool services.

The forecast also incorporates the district's first full year participating in the federal Community…