The Fond du Lac School District superintendent says the school board will be facing some tough budget decisions when federal pandemic aid comes to an end this fall. Superintendent Dr. Jeff Fleig says that coupled with declining enrollment are contributing to a projected $4.9 million budget deficit in next year’s budget. On a scale of one to ten, Dr. Fleig says the likelihood the school board will have to wrestle with the possibility of an operations referendum is probably a ten. “I’m working on a plan right now of how we can take at that, especially for the 2025-26 school year. So the board is going to have to wrestle with that,” Dr. Fleig told WFDL news. “If they say no, we’re looking at a projected deficit of $4.9 million deficit for next year.” Dr. Fleig says the District has probably never faced a budget deficit of this magnitude before. “We’re going to have to look at people, staffing. That’s 85 percent of our budget.” Dr. Fleig says for the first time enrollment at Fond du Lac High School has dropped below 2,000 students.
