FHSD Reduces Expenses by $5 Million

The Forest Hills School District has announced $5 million in taxpayer savings across its five-year forecast. The savings are the result of strategic, district-wide reductions and re-alignments to maximize fiscal efficiencies.

The budget reductions have been announced in two phases and currently total approximately $1 million in annual savings, or $5 million across the district’s five-year forecast.

“It is always our goal to provide students with excellent programs and services, while also utilizing each dollar to the best of our ability,” said Superintendent Scot Prebles. “This streamlining is a perfect example of how the district has been able to stretch the district’s 2012 operating levy for four years longer than promised to taxpayers,” said Prebles.

The FHSD central administrative team and staff from all nine schools collaborated to identify opportunities to cut costs, as the district is facing declining financial reserves. The cuts will have the least impact on students.

“The district has worked incessantly to capture this savings by finding better and smarter ways of doing things,” said Forest Hills Board of Education President Randy Smith. “Five million dollars is a significant amount of money in a five year period, and our community can feel good about that,” he said.

Programs and contracts are reviewed for cost efficiencies annually. The Forest Hills School District will continue to review additional opportunities for savings in the coming months.