By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
Every year, school districts around the state are stuck in limbo until the first Wisconsin State Aid estimates become available July 1.
And like every other school district, Burlington Area School District got its numbers – and has adjusted its budget.
The final numbers that will go in front of the School Board Aug. 4 at 6:30 p.m. for a budget amendment vote, and then to the residents of the district for consideration at the annual meeting on Aug. 25 at 8 p.m.
The end result for taxpayers is a lower-than-expected tax levy. As state aid increases, the tax levy drops in the state-aid formula.
The tax levy is now set at $20.68 million, an increase of 1.97 percent or about $400,000.
That works out to a property tax rate of $11.36 per $1,000 of equalized property value. It is an increase of 22 cents from last year, all of which can be chalked up to the cost of 4-year-old kindergarten being added.
4K costs will have to be paid the first year by the school district until state aid kicks in for the 2015-16 school year. Enrollment for the program is ahead of expectations. The expected 4K impact on the district is additional state aid of 28 cents per $1,000, slightly up from earlier predictions.
Superintendent Peter Smet said at a meeting Monday night that in making the final adjustments, he tried to balance not only what was right for the district, but for taxpayers. The original mill rate was set to be at $11.56 per $1,000 of equalized property value.
“As with all budgets, and budget adjustments, that I have been a part of … it’s been a balanced approached,” he said.
BASD is putting an extra $200,000 toward salary and benefits for staff, and also taking about $73,000 less out of its fund balance.
School Board member Roger Koldeway, who raised the point Monday that in spite of the state aid increase, the district increased the amount it would levy for in referendum-approved debt from $900,000 to $1.24 million.
Koldeway said the district would have had a shortfall if it hadn’t increased the debt service amount of the levy.
Smet said Tuesday that the increase in the referendum-approved debt tax levy helped the district realize its lower tax levy.
“You have to make adjustments between the two funds,” Smet said. The district has not levied for referendum-approved debt in the past several years, getting by without that money and absorbing it through the general fund.
Smet added Tuesday that the goal in working with the numbers after getting the state aid projections was to lower the tax levy, reduce the amount taken from the fund balance, and provide additional dollars for salary and benefits.
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