In a statement posted online Friday, school officials said the moves toward a new school tax come in the wake of “significant fiscal challenges facing the district, including the impact of a failed levy attempt in March 2024 and ongoing reductions in state funding.”
“District leadership reviewed the substantial steps already taken to manage financial pressures,” according to Fairfield officials.
Officials said that between 2009 and 2012, the district eliminated 140.5 positions, and since 2023, an additional 1.5 administrative positions and 12 teaching positions have been eliminated through attrition, along with 12 positions through a reduction in force.
“The district has also delayed capital improvements, postponed technology upgrades, and extended its bus replacement cycle beyond the planned timeline. The last levy approved by Fairfield voters was in 2011 and was expected to sustain the district for five years.”
Officials said “despite these efforts, district expenditures are currently outpacing revenue by approximately $9 million.”
Jay Phillips, treasurer of the 10,000-student district, told the Journal-News the earned income tax option will help spare segments of the district’s residential population in the city and Fairfield Twp. who are on fixed incomes.
“An earned income tax allows the district to pursue financial stability while protecting residents on fixed incomes, including seniors and individuals with disabilities, since retirement income, social security, and disability income are not taxed under this model,” said Phillips.
Fairfield Superintendent Billy Smith said: “Like many public-school districts across Ohio, the Fairfield City School District has reached a point where we no longer have many choices.”
“We have worked diligently to be strong fiscal stewards while continuing to provide an outstanding educational experience for our students. We have not passed an operating levy since 2011, and that levy was intended to last five years. Through careful planning and steady reductions over time, we have stretched it to last 15 years, which is almost unheard of,” said Smith.
The earned income tax option to help fund schools is relatively rare as most school systems use voter-approved property tax revenue to supplement operational costs not covered by state funding.
Under Ohio law, final approval to place the proposed 1.25% earned income tax on the May ballot must come from two school board votes for approval each coming in separate meetings.
The Fairfield Board of Education is scheduled to proceed with its votes at its Thursday meeting at 6:30 p.m. and its Jan. 27 meeting at 6:30 p.m., both to be held at the Catherine D. Milligan Community Room at Fairfield High School, located at 8800 Holden Boulevard.
Public input on the proposed school tax will be taken at those meetings during the public comment segment of the board’s agenda and a public comment option is also always available via the district’s website.
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