By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
While several variables could still come into play, the Whitewater Unified School Board gave its consent to a tentative $24.95 million budget that includes a $16.57 million property tax levy.
Business Manager Matthew Sylvester-Knudtson combed through details of the draft-operating budget for the 2019-20 school year at a meeting Aug. 26.
The document remains a work in progress until a number of final details that play hand-in-glove into the budget are known, including the specific amount WUSD will receive in state aid, which is a major funding source alongside property taxes.
As with all districts across the state, WUSD will be tallying student enrollment counts across its elementary schools and the middle and high schools on Sept. 20. The figure will be reported to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and will help determine state aid.
One aspect of the budget Sylvester-Knudtson highlighted in his recent discussion with the board was the amount of anticipated state aid, which is expected to increase in year-over-year comparisons.
Based on information his office received July 1, Sylvester-Knudtson said estimates point to WUSD bringing in $9.15 million in general state aid for the 2019-20 school year, up from last year’s allocation of $8.08 million, based on unaudited figures.
The increase in funding, Sylvester-Knudtson said, plays into the state’s formula, which looks at how a school district and the communities it serves stacks up against other areas of Wisconsin.
“In the eyes of the formula, we’re less wealthy, per student, than we were in the past,” Sylvester-Knudtson said, explaining the rationalization behind the change. “It doesn’t mean we’re getting more money. It just shifts where it’s coming from.”
The district’s anticipated property tax levy, which is the primary source of income, also has a proposed increase. Last year, WUSD levied $16.53 million in property taxes; in the year ahead, the tentative figure has been set at $16.57 million.
The proposed levy takes into account all of the different funds that feed into WUSD’s overall budget.
The majority of the levy — $12.52 million — will support the district’s general budget that goes toward funding classroom activities. The balance would go toward other district-related funds, such as debt linked to non-referendum and referendum projects and the community service programs that benefit the broader populace beyond school-age children.
Based on projections, Sylvester-Knudtson said WUSD’s mill rate is $11.67 per $1,000 of equalized value, which is flat with the figure set in the 2018-19 school year.
Because WUSD serves multiple townships beyond Whitewater’s municipal borders, the exact impact of school-related taxes could vary from one community to the next.
Based on a timeline in motion, Sylvester-Knudtson said he anticipates receiving final equalization aid estimates Oct. 15. The school board is expected to give final approval to the 2019-20 budget and certify the tax levy at its meeting Oct. 28.
