Most area schools to get more state aid

A majority of Wisconsin schools will get less general aid from the state this coming school year, but a majority of local schools will get more funds.

Preliminary estimates released this month, as the state budget was still being debated in the Legislature, indicate that seven of the nine area school districts will see additional funding from the state.

Tigerton School District is projected to get the biggest percentage increase — 13.94 percent, which translates to an additional $170,575 and total general aid of $1.4 million.

Bonduel will receive an additional $111,639 in general aid, which is estimated at $7.82 million for the district.

According to Patrick Rau, the district’s superintendent, the district qualified for more aid by spending more than it usually does. The district overspent by about $250,000 in order to upgrade and fix infrastructure such as roofs, boilers and other large-ticket items, he said.

“According to the funding aid formula, since we spent more, our aid formula gets adjusted up,” Rau said.

The additional aid could lower taxes for district property owners, according to Rau.

Shawano will also see an increase in aid, but it will amount to a drop in the bucket. The district will receive an additional $29,837, about 0.22 percent more than in 2014-15.

The local districts that will get less general aid are Marion and Gresham. Gresham will lose almost 14 percent of its state aid this year, or $230,697, which gives the school district $1.57 million to work with in 2015-16.

Of the 424 school districts in Wisconsin, 55 percent are estimated to receive less general aid, according to the state Department of Public Instruction estimates. Final numbers will be determined in October.

The aid estimates do not include categorical aid, which is based on student enrollment over the last three school years, as determined by attendance counts on the third Friday in September. Schools will receive $150 per student, the same amount received in the 2014-15 school year.

Gov. Scott Walker proposed cutting categorical aid for the 2015-16 school year in his preliminary budget, but the money has since been restored.