District’s 2020-21 tax levy to drop
By Robert Cloud
The Waupaca School District’s tax levy will drop from $12.93 million in 2019-20 to $12.368 in 2020-21.
A contributing factor to the lower tax levy has been a nearly $1 million increase in state aid.
Waupaca schools will receive nearly $10.67 million in state aid this year.
Carl Hayek, the district’s business manager, said the “increase in state aid (is) due mostly to the district being long-term debt free, which calculates into the general state aid formula.”
The 2020-21 tax rate is estimated at $7.51 per $1,000 of valuation.
Last year’s tax rate was $10.84 per $1,000 of valuation.
The Waupaca School Board voted unanimously on Oct. 29 to approve total revenues of $32.9 million and total expenditures of $33.174 million.
2020-21 expenditures
• Two police liaison officers.
• Three registered nurses.
• An ionizing purification system in the heating and ventilation that cost $280,000 total for all school buildings and has a 99.9% coronavirus kill rate.
• Protective infrastructure for COVID-19 safety protocols that cost a total of nearly $200,000.
• Schoology software for managing virtual instruction.
• The Suzuki music program at the Chain Exploration Center at a cost of $81,000.
• A 1.81% wage increase for staff, plus a 50 cents per hour raise for custodial, maintenance and food service staff.