Bonduel School District voters Monday approved an increase in the tax levy for the upcoming school year as cuts in state aid force local property owners to pick up more of the expense of education.
About 20 district voters turned out to approve a $4.47 million levy; up more than $280,000 over last school year’s figure.
The district is projecting a tax rate of $10.30 per $1,000 of equalized value, compared to last year’s $9.50 per $1,000.
The levy increase comes in spite of the fact that the total $11.1 million budget, including debt service, is about $10,000 less than last year.
Turnout for Monday’s meeting was slightly higher than the dozen or so residents who usually attend, and a number of them questioned how the levy could be going up if the budget is going down.
Superintendent Peter Behnke said a slight decline in student enrollment and less state aid were the reasons.
The numbers are still preliminary, however. The district won’t know its actual student count until the student census taken the third Friday in September, and official state aid figures won’t be known until October.
“There’s still a chance for changes and adjustments,” Behnke said.
Behnke said there were a number of changes to the school budget proposed for next school year aimed at cutting costs.
Those include a decision to outsource the custodial staff at the elementary school, eliminating bus purchases, and staff changes due to departures and retirements.
Behnke noted the district’s budget has continued to go down and the budget for next year is about $500,000 less than it was for the 2009-10 school year.
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