By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
It’s a good news/bad news situation for the Burlington Area School District when it comes to state aid and the annual budgeting process.
Thanks to the state’s Joint Finance Committee committing to putting the $150 per pupil aid back into the budget, BASD will be able to balance its 2015-16 budget with relative ease.
However, after handing out what was referred to as “the pink slip” Monday night at the School Board Finance Committee meeting, it was clear that problems are looming on the horizon for the 2016-17 budget.
In simple terms for BASD, the state aid situation means that, even if the district cuts an expected four positions due to declining enrollment and does not increase any salaries or benefits, there will still be a shortfall of about $72,000 between revenues and expenditures for the 2016-17 school year.
“Thanks for that,” one board member commented.
If the budget would move ahead with the planned salary increases for staff – a 1.25 percent increase plus step increases on the pay scale – and allowed for increases in both benefit costs (which are expected) and purchased services, that shortfall would rapidly expand to about $730,000.
“There’s no revenue limit increase,” said BASD Business Manager Ruth Schenning. “The revenue limit is comprised of state aid and tax levy. Basically, that means no new money for the school district.”
Superintendent Peter Smet said Tuesday the district is still looking at all the proposals the state is considering.
“It’s not 100 percent clear what will be passed,” Smet said. “A lot of the proposals are less than 1 percent increases over two years.
“It’s hard to address inflationary increases with that kind of increase,” he added. “It’s extremely difficult and frustrating.”
The state’s education budget created a firestorm of reaction in the past week. While the per-pupil state aid was reinstated in for this coming school year, there is no increase budgeted for 2016-17.
With both Gov. Scott Walker and the Joint Finance Committee intent on expanding aid and purview for private charter schools, both sides stumped for their cause.
“I am troubled that the Joint Finance Committee spent its time and effort designing a plan that erodes the basic foundation of Wisconsin’s public school system,” said State Superintendent Tony Evers said in a press release. “If we want all students to achieve, we cannot continue to ask our public schools to do more with less.
“The eventual outcome of that exercise will be two systems of public schools: those in local communities that can afford to provide a quality education through referendum and those that cannot.”
Evers also criticized the expanded money for the private voucher schools.
Meanwhile, State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, called the statements being made by state Democrats on the issue out of touch with reality.
“Assembly Democrats need to cease this ‘end of the world’ rhetoric when talking about the expansion of school choice and start putting children first,” Speaker Vos said. “Every child – regardless of where they live – deserves to have the best possible education, and by expanding school choice and maintaining our commitment to public schools, we’re increasing the opportunity for educational success throughout Wisconsin.”
While the future for BASD pessimistic Monday night, the 2015-16 budget appeared to be coming together as planned. State aid – and as a result, property taxes – are going to be in flux until October. A preliminary estimate will be available July 1.
As of now, the district is looking at increasing the mill rate to $11.32, up 23 cents from this year. However, Schenning cautioned property values are still changing.
The total proposed levy for the district is $20.99 million – up 2.06 percent from last year.
2014-15 budget finalized
The Finance Committee unanimously approved the final set of changes for the 2014-15 budget Monday night as well.
Revenues for the district went up about $87,700 from the original budgeted amount, while expenditures increased as well – but only by $65,500.
That meant an extra $20,200 heading to the fund balance.
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