Posted: Oct. 27, 2009

Hales Corners — As expected, the Whitnall School District property tax levy will rise from last year, though not as much as originally anticipated.

The school tax levy will rise 5.5 percent. The School Board certified the levy Monday night.

Whitnall dropped its levy from an anticipated 11.7 percent increase by budgeting for only a 1 percent rise in teachers' salaries. Residents at the annual meeting approved a 5.5 percent increase in an advisory vote.

Gambling on negotiations

Because the teachers' contract has not yet been finalized, it was one of the only areas that allowed for any flexibility, School Board President Bill Osterndorf said.

Negotiations began in April, but state aid received by the Whitnall district ended up being much lower than the preliminary estimates at that time. When talks resume, district officials hope an agreement can be reached realizing the impact of the state budget on Whitnall and most other school districts in Wisconsin, Osterndorf said.

If the teachers' union and the district cannot reach a voluntary agreement, however, the negotiations would move to arbitration.

That leaves open the possibility teachers could get more than a 1 percent salary increase. If that happens, the School Board and district administrators are not exactly sure how they would make up that difference.

"No one wants to go to arbitration," Osterndorf said. "It's important for us to work on a deal that makes sense for teachers and makes sense for the district."

Lean, but lean enough?

Board member T.J. Anderson cast the lone dissenting vote against the levy increase.

Anderson acknowledged that administrators, in cutting the overall budget by 2.92 percent, worked toward a tight package but added that there was room for improvement.

"We did a good job but we could have done better," he said in an interview.

Anderson said he has advocated for lower budgets since joining the School Board four years ago and has never voted for a tax increase.

Taxing situation for all

Several residents in attendance pleaded with the board to keep the tax increase down amid the bad economy, which they noted has led to wage cuts and job losses.

But School Board members said they have struggled with the balancing act of keeping taxes down while simultaneously not punishing students by cutting programs or teachers.

They urged residents to write state representatives and Gov. Jim Doyle to urge change in the formula for funding Wisconsin schools.

Officials also encouraged residents to get involved with the district's budget process in its early stages. For the 2010-11 budget, that will start as soon as next month, Osterndorf said.