State aid estimates for local schools could spell 'relief'
Districts still not certain about exact impact on tax levies
Residents may see some relief in school property taxes compared with last year.
The state has released its estimates for state aid - a crucial factor in school district budgets and tax levies - and school officials say the estimates are better than they expected.
But it's still too early to tell the exact impact on property tax levies, officials concur.
State aid is expected to increase in the school districts of Franklin (by 2.4 percent), Greendale (4.7 percent) and Oak Creek-Franklin (7.3 percent), according to Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction figures. Whitnall was the only local school district in which aid is projected to decline.
Smaller dip for Whitnall
But Whitnall's 1.9 percent decrease is much less than first feared, School Board President Bill Osterndorf said.
Last year Whitnall was one of the hardest hit by a drop in state aid, as it faced a decline of 15 percent.
School officials said it was the biggest factor in a proposed property tax levy increase of 11 percent, which drew the ire of residents who packed the district's annual meeting last fall to protest.
Whitnall School Board members eventually settled on a levy increase of 5.5 percent.
Osterndorf said officials are studying the numbers to find out how the latest estimates will impact the property tax levy. But at first glance, it appears to be a "positive for the community," he said, and could limit the financial burden on taxpayers.
"We are committing to producing a budget that both provides enough resources for kids and makes sense for the community," he said.
Franklin's plus side
Like Whitnall, Franklin faced a 15 percent reduction in state aid last year.
Superintendent Steve Patz said he did not believe the latest state estimates would have a significant impact on the tax levy or budget. The School Board's preliminary budget called for a levy increase of 3.9 percent.
Patz noted that more revisions could be ahead when more becomes known, including enrollment, property values and finalized aid amounts.
Greendale and Oak Creek-Franklin officials could not be reached for comment by press deadline.
More figuring to do
Much more is still to come before the final impact on taxpayers is known.
Total enrollment, which is one of the biggest factors in determining how much state aid each school district receives, will be taken on the third Friday in September.
State aid is usually listed as a per-student amount. If a district ends up with more students than anticipated, additional state aid will follow. Accordingly, fewer students means less aid.
The public can weigh in on money matters at each district's annual meeting, which will be held before school boards formally adopt their budgets and tax levies in October.
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