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Property taxpayers in the Iola-Scandinavia School District will likely notice an increase in their school taxes when they receive their real estate tax bills this month. This increase is directly related to the Legislature’s decision to reduce state aid to Wisconsin’s public schools.
Due to the nationwide recession and high unemployment in the state, Wisconsin’s tax collections from income and sales taxes fell far behind expected levels last year. The legislature responded by reducing general aid to public schools across the state. Because our District also had a decline in enrollment last year, this meant our state aid was cut by over $600,000. The District was informed of this reduction on July 1, when it was too late for us to make further adjustments to the 2009-2010 budget.
The two main sources of revenue for public schools in Wisconsin are state aid and the local tax levy. That means if expenditures remain the same and state aid goes down, the levy has to go up.
Iola-Scandinavia is a low-spending district. In fact, our per pupil spending is kept at what is considered the low spending limit by the state. We truly appreciate the support of our community, and I believe we provide a good return on your investment in education. Our students scored higher than the state and conference averages on 25 of the 26 areas measured by Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam. We continue to have a strong focus on improving student achievement.
As we plan our budget for 2009-2011 we will seek to provide the best education we can for our students while respecting the needs of local taxpayers. Anyone with questions or suggestions about the school district budget may contact Joe Price at 445-2411, extension 215.
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