Fair-Mont-Egan School Will Ask Voters to Approve General Fund, Technology Levies this May
Like other districts in the valley, without a levy, the rural school is facing a potential budget deficit in the wake of COVID-era funds drying up, high inflation and decades since it last passed a general fund levy.
By Mariah Thomas
Fair-Mont-Egan School joined fellow east-valley district Cayuse Prairie Wednesday, approving a pair of levy asks for voters to weigh in on this May as it faces down a potential deficit in its general fund without the extra support.
Board members approved putting a general fund levy for approximately $133,000 on the ballot. The precise figure has yet to be finalized, pending state enrollment figures set to come at the beginning of March. They also approved a $250,000 technology fund levy for a period of five years, aimed at helping the district replace student laptops, “maintain digital security protocols for student data, and cover increasing curriculum costs.”
The board passed on a potential building reserve levy. After a discussion, it concluded putting three levies on the ballot could have the effect of dissuading voters.
Without the general fund levy’s passage, the district is facing a general fund shortfall of around $217,000, district clerk Julie Wood told the board in a pair of pre-levy workshops earlier this month. School district general funds typically pay for staffing and operation needs.
The district’s budgeting challenges were highlighted again as Wood presented a budget report at Wednesday’s meeting.
Superintendent Tina Blair told the board for the past few years, general fund expenses have trended higher than the budget. At a pair of pre-levy workshops earlier this month, Blair and Wood told the board the district has made staffing cuts to reduce costs, and they shared several ideas the school could consider to generate more revenue.
But the district has hit a wall as it contends with the drying up of COVID funds, the loss of a literacy grant and inflation that has long outpaced funding the state gives to schools. Plus, it’s running up against needs like building maintenance, updating old curriculums and technology and attempting to keep teacher pay competitive for recruitment and retention purposes.
“There’s not very much left that’s not necessary,” Blair said. “(General fund expenses trending higher than the budget) happened last year, and then we had to go to non-replenishable funds to finish out the year with, and I don’t think it’s for a lack of responsibility.”
Fair-Mont-Egan hasn’t passed a general fund levy since 2005. In that time frame, the rate of elementary levy approvals across the state dropped from around 97% in 2006, to 50% in 2025.
This spring’s election will be an all-mail ballot, with ballots due back on May 5.