Dearest reader,
We have reached Step 5 of our Farwell Area Schools review: the General Fund.
And there are a few numbers worth watching.
The district ended 2024–25 with a General Fund balance of $1,721,343.
That year, expenditures exceeded revenue by $60,248. After a $59,598 transfer in, the final change in fund balance was just a $650 decrease.
Then we move into the budgets.
For 2025–26, Farwell projects:
💰 Revenue: $15,986,927
💸 Expenditures: $15,632,056
📈 Surplus: $354,871
🏦 Ending fund balance: $2,076,214
That would put the fund balance at approximately 13.28% of expenditures.
But take a look at the following year.
For 2026–27:
💰 Revenue: $14,021,837
💸 Expenditures: $14,008,401
📈 Surplus: just $13,436
🏦 Ending fund balance: $2,089,650
So Farwell is NOT projecting a deficit.
Its fund balance is actually projected to increase slightly.
But the annual cushion gets awfully thin.
The projected surplus goes from $354,871 to just $13,436 in one budget year.
That is exactly why Lady B looks at more than whether a budget ends in black or red ink. Sometimes the interesting part of the ledger is how much room remains between the two.
And with that, Farwell Area Schools Steps 1–5 are in the books.
With receipts and respect.
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