Schools will lose state aid in proposed budget

SOURCE: Fond du Lac Reporter

Proposed cuts in state aid will cause school districts to tighten their belts even further.

The financial blow comes late in the game, when area school boards have already formulated a plan of budget cuts to meet revenue limits.

An analysis released last week by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau spelled out the possible effects of a 3.1 percent cut in school aid next year. The cuts are part of the state budget that was approved by the state Assembly on Saturday and which will now go to the state Senate this week.

The report includes cuts of:


Fond du Lac: 2.7 percent


Campbellsport: 4.1 percent


Lomira: 2.2 percent


North Fond du Lac: 2 percent


Ripon: 1.8 percent


Waupun: 2.4 percent

Fond du Lac School District Business Manager Susan Schnorr said the $584,900 loss in aid would come on top of about $1 million in budget reductions.

"The administration's recommendation is to use approximately $300,000 of the federal stimulus money (we are getting). The regulations allow a percentage of the money to be used to pay existing expenses. The remaining roughly $300,000 would come out of fund balance," she said.

This would allow the district to maintain existing programs, she pointed out.

The Oakfield School District would see a loss of around $70,000, said Superintendent Joe Heinzelman.

"Since we are closing Belle Reynolds Elementary School, we have a savings of $300,000, so we will ride it out. My understanding is we will lose that much or more in revenue limit authority which could be a problem but again, we will wait and see what happens," he said.

North Fond du Lac schools will lose about $215,000 in state aid; Rosendale-Brandon Schools almost $320,000.

Along with $500,000 in budget cuts, Campbellsport's Superintendent Dan Olson said the board planned ahead for potential state aid reductions.

"We are hoping that the additional aid we will receive from the new 4K (4-year-old kindergarten) program will offset the loss of aid. Since the Board does not want to increase the tax burden on local property tax payers, they will likely adopt a budget that freezes total expenditures at the current year level," Olson said.

In Ripon, the state aid cut translates to $400,000 on top of $545,000 in cuts.

"With another $400,000 to cut, the board will be looking at more operating costs, programs, and staff positions to cut at its June 15 meeting in order to comply with the June 30 layoff deadline for teachers. This is a sad day for parents and grandparents who want the best for their children and grandchildren, as well as all Wisconsin residents who need strong schools for economic development and a good quality of life," said Superintendent Richard Zimman.