Fairfield voters will decide this fall whether to approve a school levy, sending more money to the Fairfield City School District.
The Board of Education voted unanimously Monday night to put the measure on the November ballot. If it passes, residents would be taxed 1.25% of their earned income, which excludes investment and retirement income. The levy would expire after five years.
“We need to increase revenue to really continue operating the school district in a way that’s at least close to what we've been doing — offering the same programming and the same great benefits to our kids,” said Jay Phillips, the district’s treasurer.
Phillips said the district faces uncertainty with school funding, especially as an effort to eliminate property taxes statewide continues.
But after a similar school levy measure with no expiration date failed in May, Phillips said residents’ wishes became clear.
“They don't want a forever tax, they don't want a permanent tax,” Phillips said. “Going for a five-year earned income tax will give us time to see how that all shakes out.”
Superintendent Billy Smith said the Fairfield City School District has been making cuts for the past several years. They’ve eliminated 84.5 positions since the 2022-2023 school year, he said. And after the initial levy failed in May, the district reduced expenditures by more than $4.5 million for the upcoming school year.
“We’re aware of the narrative that districts need to tighten their belt,” Smith said. “We have tightened our belt.”
The last time Fairfield voters passed a ballot initiative was 2011.
“And we are rounding the corner, headed to 2027 here,” Smith said. “That's 15 years, and that's just — that's almost unheard of these days.”
If the ballot measure fails in November, Smith said they’ll have one more chance next May. But if residents do not approve a levy before the end of the school year, he said the district will need to make another $12 million in cuts.
“The cuts that we've already made will be felt. They will be. They will impact our services and supports for kids,” Smith said. “But if we go to that next level, the impact will just be significantly greater. I've used the term catastrophic.”
Smith said he and Phillips are planning to hold regular weekly office hours to answer the community’s questions about the levy and the district’s budget.
Information about those gatherings should be available in the next two weeks, Smith said.
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