Posted: July 15, 2009 |(0) Comments

North Shore — Mequon-Thiensville School District Superintendent Demond Means summed up the process leading to the state Legislature's decision on state aid to schools.

"It's been a roller coaster ride," Means said.

Like many of its counterparts, the Mequon-Thiensville School Board began working on the budget not long after the start of the 2008-09 school year, hoping to develop a budget that taxpayers could support without cutting programs and enlarging class sizes.

Seven of the eight North Shore school districts lost aid as a result of the state biennial budget.

Estimates way off

Learning about the loss in July means the districts face serious decisions.

"We understand the state doesn't have money and can't give us what it doesn't have," said Sean Yde, director of business services for the Whitefish Bay School District. "Sales tax and personal and corporate income taxes are all down, but they should not delay decisions and letting people know about them."

Locally, Whitefish Bay took the hardest hit, losing $1.27 million in aid, 11.5 percent.

"They told us 3 percent as late as June, then 6.3 percent, and this is almost double that," Yde said. "There are a good number of districts that are shocked at the changes in aid projections."

School districts started spending their 2009-10 budget July 1, the start of their fiscal year.

"Ultimately it means districts (school boards) will have to ask if they will levy to cover the loss in state aid," Means said. "This change coming at the last minute is a real kick in the gut for school districts like us. I don't think it is fair to our taxpayers. This was done to help Madison schools."

Tax or cut?

Yde said that the range of options for the districts is narrow.

Whitefish Bay could increase the levy to cover the loss in aid, drop its debt levy, use fund balance or cut expenses. None of those options would be easy to do, Yde said.

"We already have contracts with our teachers, for instance," he said.

Emily Koczela, a business consultant for the Brown Deer School District, said she was relieved when she saw the state aid figures. Although the district lost $396,191 from last year, it had reduced its operating budget by $1.4 million in anticipation of the cuts.

"I was bracing for a lot worse than it was," she said.

Because the district budgeted very conservatively, Koczela said it will have some breathing room and should not have to make more cuts as things stand.

"The board decided to wait for the final numbers in October," Koczela.

School districts can adjust budgets and levies up to the end of October. "The state still has budget issues, and they may come back and make more adjustments."

The Fox Point-Bayside School District was the only winner in the projected state aid disbursement plan, but Business Manager Mike Garty is not ready to spend the additional $63,133 of aid just yet.

Unlike a year ago when the district lost 3 percent of its aid, Garty said flat school spending, a flat property value and higher enrollment helped the district this year.

"We are one of the few districts locally that are seeing increases in enrollment," he said.

The district projects enrollment of 772 resident students in the fall, up from 745 last year and 736 the year before that. A three-year rolling average is used as part of the school aid formula, Garty said, and helped the district avoid the losses other districts face.

AT A GLANCE

Preliminary state aid to North Shore school districts

District	2008-09	2009-10 preliminary	Increase/(Decrease)	Percent
Brown Deer	$6,150,327	$5,754,136	($396,191)	(6.4)
Fox Point-Bayside	$1,341,486	$1,404,599	$63,113	4.7
Glendale-River Hills	$565,671	$479,830	($85,841)	(15.2)
Maple Dale-Indian Hill	$602,095	$510,714	($91,381)	(15.2)
Mequon-Thiensville	$2,324,281	$2,143,621	($180,660)	(7.8)
Nicolet	$2,040,975	$1,822,523	($218,452)	(10.7)
Shorewood	$4,715,592	$4,387,418	($328,174)	(7.0)
Whitefish Bay	$11,026,493	$9,761,122	($1,265,371)	(11.5)

Source: state Department of Public Instruction