The Gillett School Board on Oct. 17 passed an $11.973 million budget for 2024-25, a 6.6% increase in expenditures from a year earlier.
The property tax levy of $3,108,639 is a 10.2% decrease from 2023-24, largely due to an increase in state aid, school officials said.
The levy was approved by a couple of dozen residents who attended the school district annual meeting prior to the board’s regular monthly meeting.
School board treasurer Cliff Gerbers reported that during the budget process, the district found itself with a deficit and used $501,000 from its general fund — the district’s savings account — to balance the budget.
The district had been able to bolster the general fund by about $200,000 in 2022-23 and another $119,000 in 2023-24, making a total of about $1.832 million available, Gerbers said.
“The absence of having any COVID money had an effect on our revenue,” he said.
The federal government supplemented local school budgets from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund, a program designed to offset the impact of lockdown measures imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
That fund expires and any dollars allocated must be spent by the end of 2024, Gerbers said. Knowing that, the board did its best not to use the emergency funds for ongoing expenses.
“We didn’t waste that money by any stretch,” Gerbers said.
Still, many districts are finding themselves with deficits this year, Gerbers said, noting that the neighboring Suring Area Public School District was in the red by $915,000, according to its recently published budget.
“The state has put more money into the state aid formula, and that’s why the taxes are decreasing this year,” Gerbers said.
The fact that Gillett is considered a high-poverty district and an increase in equalized aid led to an approximately $800,000 increase in general state aid, he said.
Actions by the state Legislature continue to have an impact on local school budgets, Gerbers and Superintendent Nathan Hanson said.
Hanson noted that the state currently foots about 30% of the bill for special education services, which amount to about $2.1 million for 2024-25. The rest must come from the general budget.
“There’s a push out there right now to move that total to 60% funding,” he said. “That would be a tremendous financial benefit to the Gillett School District. It would be huge for us.”
The state and federal governments require local school districts to provide education for students with special needs, Hanson said.
“We’re happy that we can, because these are some of our kids who need support more than anyone else,” but increased support would be welcome, he said.
Gerbers also said state-imposed revenue limits on local school districts remain a challenge after 30 years.
“We can only raise so much money per student, and that has not kept up with inflation,” Gerbers said. He cited a study by a business group that indicated if the revenue limits had been adjusted for inflation over the years, districts would have an average of $2,100 per student in additional available funding. “When our expenses exceed what we can raise, that’s why we have a fund balance.”
During his welcoming remarks for the annual meeting, Hanson focused on interactions and partnerships between the school district and the community at large, including the Independence Day parade, Veterans Day programs, the annual Victory Olympics, the school’s Grandparents Day breakfast and the recent Harvest Day celebration that was tied to the high school homecoming week.
Efforts to expand services for the community are under discussion, he said.
“We’re working toward opening up our school facilities for walking during the winter months so they’ve got a place that they can be warm and get good exercise,” Hanson said. “We’re working on getting an indoor pickle ball court, and we’re working on designing a process so our facilities will be more accessible to be used for other activities within the community.”
Hanson, who started as superintendent on July 1, said he’s been very impressed by his initial interactions with the the Gillett community.
“The last three months that I’ve been here, I’ve been excited by the relationships I’ve been able to build in the community and how much pride our employees and our community take in this school,” he said. “We don’t always agree on everything, but I think everybody really and truly believes that this is an important place for kids and a great place to be.”
Among other actions at the annual meeting, residents voted to keep school board salaries at their current levels. Board members receive $100 for each regular meeting and $50 for any special meetings. The school board meets monthly on the third Thursday of the month. There were two special meetings last school year, according to minutes posted on the district website www.gillett.k12.wi.us.
wbluhm@newmedia-wi.com
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