Fargo school board passes 2nd straight budget with a deficit; member calls it 'unsustainable'

FARGO — The Fargo school board has given final approval to the 2025-26 budget, marking a second straight year of projected multi-million dollar deficits for the district.

The budget was the main item on the agenda at the board’s meeting Tuesday, Sept. 23.

Jackie Gapp, chief financial officer for Fargo Public Schools, said the district has a $2.5 million projected deficit for 2026 after ending fiscal year 2025 with a final, actual deficit of $4.5 million.

Both numbers include all sources of revenues, she told The Forum.

The shortfall comes on the heels of a more than $2 million deficit that was projected for the 2024-25 school year.

Greg Clark, board member and planning committee chair, said the district has a fund balance to cover the deficit, so it is not facing the prospect of borro