Board must decide how funds will be used
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff Writer
With the passing of the Wisconsin state budget, the Burlington Area School District on Monday got its first estimate of state aid for the 2013-14 school year.
The numbers are higher than expected, as the district’s first estimate of state aid is $14.9 million – about $300,000 more than planned.
“That is just an estimate,” cautioned Ruth Schenning, the BASD Business Manager.
The district will hold a Finance Committee meeting of the School Board on July 29 at 6 p.m. to discuss changes it will now make to the 2013-14 budget.
“The state’s telling us … we’re going to get approximately $300,000 more than we budgeted for,” BASD Superintendent Peter Smet said. “We’ll have to decide how that increased revenue will be allocated.”
The School Board passed its preliminary budget June 10 by a 5-2 vote, with Roger Koldeway and Phil Ketterhagen the dissenting votes.
That budget had the following assumptions:
• The approximate 1 percent tax levy increase, for a total revenue increase of about $220,000 through tax money;
• A decrease in general fund expenditures to about $37.64 million;
• An assumption of a 1 percent raise for staff members.
• State aid coming in about $14.53 million.
Options on the table include not increasing the tax levy or decreasing the amount of fund balance used in the budget. However, no decisions have been made.
Schenning did say that a number of different combinations of those options are on the table.
“We’ll have to discuss whether we adjust the tax levy, adjust what we take out of the fund balance … whether it’s a balance,” said Schenning. “It depends on what direction we get from the board.”
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