WUHS annual meeting a quiet affair

By Dave Fidlin

Correspondent

Residents living within Waterford Union High School could see a reduction in taxes when bills arrive late this year, based on actions taken Tuesday at the district’s annual meeting.

More than a dozen residents attended the Aug. 26 meeting of electors and voted unanimously in favor of levying $7.8 million in taxes for the upcoming 2014-15 school year. The figure represents a 0.07 percent decrease – or a $5,500 reduction – in last year’s levy.

This is the fourth consecutive year the district’s levy is set to decrease. Further amendments could be made to the amount, however, as more specific information – including firm student enrollment figures – becomes known.

The School Board will certify the budget and levy in October.

Budget building in WUHS is a yearlong process, Superintendent Keith Brandstetter said, and begins each November after the prior school year’s budget is minted.

Early on, there had been discussions of a modest tax hike for the 2014-15 school year, but Brandstetter said a variety of factors – including higher than anticipated student enrollment – contributed to the 0.07 percent levy decrease.

Cash reserves in the fund balance are also set to decrease by $160,000. The maneuver ensures the expenses and revenue within the budget are balanced. The draw from reserves was necessary for the overall levy decrease.

Brandstetter said about 34 percent of the district’s overall budget remains in the fund balance.

For the past five years, WUHS has generally been losing students in year-over-year comparisons. But the trend appears to be reversing. Early projections hinted 1,043 students would be enrolled this school year.

As of Aug. 26, however, Brandstetter said 1,094 are registered to attend grades 9 to 12 when the school bell resumes ringing next week. A year ago, WUHS hosted 1,035 students.

“These aren’t all students entering ninth grade,” Brandstetter said of this year’s enrollment spike. “We’re seeing a lot of them in 10th- and 11th-grades.”

The second year of the state’s biennium budget just began, meaning school officials have a relatively good handle of how much money should be coming in from state aid – the second largest source of income for WUHS.

According to his projections, Brandstetter said he anticipates state aid increasing by $88,947 this upcoming school year. In 2013-14, the district received more than $5.4 million from the state; projections this year reveal $5.5 million from the income source.

“This coming year, we’ll have to do a little more wait-and-see again and see what happens,” Brandstetter said of planning the 2015-16 school year budget.

In addition to weighing in on a recommended levy, electors present at the annual meeting voted on School Board members’ salaries for the upcoming school year.

Residents voted unanimously in favor of increasing annual compensation by $200, from $3,900 to $4,100.

When asked if any of the electors had any new business to present at the annual meeting, resident and Waterford Graded School Board member Doug Schwartz encouraged WUHS officials not to hold the annual meeting on a date that conflicted with school activities in other local districts.

Schwartz suggested resident attendance for the WUHS annual meeting might have been higher, but WGSD parents were busy with open house activities at the same time Tuesday.

Brandstetter said he would dialogue with his counterparts in the K-8 feeder districts before next year’s annual meeting date is set.