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Treasurer reports increased revenue and rising special-education and food-service costs; board approves contracts and supplemental personnel
Summary
Treasurer Mrs. Roberts presented the May financial forecast (revenues up, expenditures tracking to forecast), reported a $346,000 food-service shortfall driven by expanded free meals and proposed a $150,000 transfer from the general fund; the board approved contracts including Muskingum Valley Educational Services and several personnel and supplemental contracts.
The Fairfield Union Local Board received a finance update from Treasurer Mrs. Roberts showing year-to-date revenues of about $30.2 million through May — increases in property and income taxes and a roughly 9% rise in state funding tied to community eligibility provision (CEP) free meals. Expenditures through May were about $24.3 million and cash on hand was reported near $23.4 million.
On food service, Mrs. Roberts said the district served 343,000 meals in fiscal 2025 (212,000 lunches and 103,000 breakfasts), an increase of about 23% versus the prior year with breakfast participation up roughly 50%. The food-service profit-and-loss showed a year-to-date deficit of $346,000 largely because free-meal participation limits federal/state reimbursement rates. "We had proposed that we would need to transfer $300,000 from the general fund into food service to offset that loss," Mrs. Roberts said; the board had already transferred $200,000 earlier and she recommended an additional $150,000 transfer to start next year with a balanced beginning fund.
Trustees also approved a one-year service support contract for Cody Campbell beginning July 1, 2025, a personnel transfer promoting Joel Denny to workforce-development coordinator for 2025–26, and a list of personal-service supplemental contracts (37 positions) and extended-duty contracts. The board approved Muskingum Valley Educational Services for special-education placement and acknowledged rising special-education costs; the treasurer explained the district may file catastrophic-cost claims to the state but typically recovers only a portion and with a long delay.
Additionally, trustees approved a liability-and-cyber insurance renewal (total package about $131,000, an increase of roughly 6%), and amended FY2025 appropriations (general-fund appropriation increased from $35 million to $47 million in anticipation of transfers) as well as temporary appropriations for FY2026. Most motions on personnel, contracts and insurance were approved by unanimous roll call.
