Tim Ryan, tryan@shawanoleader.com
The Shawano School Board had its last look at the proposed budget for this school year Tuesday before it goes before voters at a special annual meeting later this month.
The proposed budget calls for a tax levy of just over $12.9 million, an increase of $41,434 over the 2013-14 school year.
The tax rate would be projected to increase from $10.31 per $1,000 of equalized value to $10.34 per $1,000, assuming no change in the district’s property values.
Property values, which won’t be known until October, dropped last year by 2 percent. If that happens again, the tax rate would work out to $10.55 per $1,000.
“That’s really the $10 million question right now,” business manager Louise Fischer said.
Also pending is the third Friday student head count, which will influence the amount of state aid the district receives.
The district is estimating $13.4 million in equalization aid, a 5-percent increase over last year.
Fischer said the slight increase in the proposed levy was remarkable.
“I think it’s really something for a district this size that it can operate efficiently and only raise their levy that much money,” she said.
The district does expect, however, to have a $471,000 deficit under the proposed budget, which will be covered using the general fund balance. That fund, which also finances the district’s self-funded insurance plan, had a balance of $6.9 million in June.
The budget includes a number of proposed projects, including a districtwide server upgrade, making the middle and high school exterior doors keyless entry to improve security, a study of the middle school’s HVAC system, and a study of asphalt conditions at all district parking lots.
Nothing will be spent on any of the projects until the budget is formally adopted.
Board member Al Heins was particularly concerned about improvements needed at the middle school.
“That equipment over there is from the ’50s,” he said. “If one of those boilers would go south on us for the winter or something, where are we going to be at?”
Board President Tyler Schmidt said the engineering study at the middle school included in the proposed budget would give the district options for addressing those issues.
A special annual meeting, at which voters will vote on the tax levy, will be held at 8 p.m. Sept. 22 at Shawano Community High School, 220 County Road B.