Final calculations expected by Oct. 15

By Neil Rhines

The New London School Board unanimously passed all measures of a preliminary 2019-20 budget at its Sept. 9 meeting.

According to District Administrator Scott Bleck, the budget will allow the district to be successful in the “changing [educational] landscape,” and to ensure the district is “meeting the standards, setting the standards, paving the way for the future.”

Presenting the budget recommendations, Director of Business Services Joe Marquardt noted some important features in this year’s budget that could help the district accomplish those goals.

The state of Wisconsin’s biennium budget increased the amount of money school districts can levy per pupil by $300 for each student counted during the annual pupil count on Sept. 20.

The increase allows the school board to consider levying taxes of $9,700 per pupil, which equates to roughly an additional $500,000 in the budget. If the revenue raise (per student) hadn’t been granted, New London would have only seen a $23,000 revenue increase in the budget, Marquardt said.

This is the largest increase since the 2004-05 budget, something Marquardt said is “significant and advantageous to the school district budget.”

Calculations are based on figures from the end of August.

The final numbers won’t be ready until Oct. 15, when schools are given the state’s equalization aid numbers.

Some of the budget’s projections include: an increase in the mill rate from $7.73 to $7.93; an increase of 6.3% to the tax levy, and a 2.9% increase in overall spending.

If passed as is, the increase will result in a $20 increase to district property taxes for a $100,000 home.

The mill rate, Marquardt said, is lower than it was 5 years ago, when it was in the $10.00 range.

The tax levy has gone down, and the “district is still able to accomplish a lot of things in the district because of referendums,” he said.

The budgetary numbers also reflect an anticipated increase of 7% for district staff health and dental plan costs, as well as a reduction in expenditures concerning certified staff and support staff, he said.

There was no reduction in certified staff. Savings came from “attrition and restructuring,” Marquardt said.