By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
Working with projected enrollment and preliminary state aid numbers, the Burlington Area School District is anticipating about $576,000 less in revenue for the 2015-16 school year.
The district will take the biggest hit in the loss of pupil adjustment aid, which is cut in the state’s biennial budget has cut.
That means a loss of $497,250.
BASD Business Manager Ruth Schenning discussed the revenues at Monday night’s School Board Finance Committee meeting as the start of the budget process for BASD.
Using the state revenue limit worksheet, the district will see the amount of property tax revenue drop from $18.78 million to $18.45 million because of property valuations, and an increase in state aid – which is the other half of the balanced scale in revenues – from $15.3 million to $15.6 million.
The district will also lose another $65,500 in various aids, including transportation aid, a one-time state grant and Title 1-A aid.
District officials hope to pursue a one-time state grant for 4-year-old kindergarten start-up costs, but there’s no guarantee it will be available for this year’s budget. BASD Superintendent Peter Smet also said the state is talking about possibly putting back some money in the per pupil aid, but “that’s just talk at this time.”
The Finance Committee also approved two changes in the student fee schedule for the 2015-16 school year. There will be a 5-cent increase in student milk costs to $.30 per carton to cover an increase in milk prices.
Student lunch prices will also go up 20 cents in order to meet federal guidelines for closing the cost gap between free and reduced price lunches and normal lunch prices.
New School Board member Kevin Bird asked to be brought up to date on the fee schedule, as was not familiar with it. Smet walked through the process of student book and material fees, the lunch costs and the activity fees as well.
Schenning also discussed the district’s change of dental insurance, necessitated by the switch from the Wisconsin Group Health Trust.
The district will be switching to Delta Dental, with the same coverage of up to $1,000. Preventive services are covered at 100 percent, basic services such as fillings and extractions at 80 percent and major services also at 80 percent. Orthodontics are covered at 50 percent up to $1,500.
-
-
-
-
-