A presentation prepared by the Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials (WASBO) told the Arrowhead UHS School District Board of Education that gaps in state school funding are driving districts statewide to rely on operating referendums and are straining Arrowhead’s budget.

The presenter summarized WASBO’s recommendations: make special-education categorical aid “sum sufficient” rather than a fixed pot, target special-education reimbursement near 60 percent instead of the roughly 30–33 percent the district currently receives, and raise the state’s low revenue ceiling to reduce inequities among districts.

WASBO materials shown to the board said Arrowhead’s current state aid per pupil is $11,395 this year; private-school voucher funding is roughly $13,000 per pupil for regular education and about $15,000–$16,000 for many special-education voucher students. The presenter said the state’s special-education reimbursement was about 32.4 percent in 2023–24 and was estimated near 30.5 percent for the current year because the program is funded out of a fixed pot rather than as a sum-sufficient appropriation.

Why it matters: board members and district staff said the shortfall for special education is paid from the district’s general fund, reducing money available for operations and building maintenance. The presenter and board members urged public outreach to legislators, noting the state budget process and joint finance public hearings as places for residents to voice priorities.

Supporting details and context: WASBO’s slides (described to the board during the meeting) showed that revenue limits in Wisconsin were intended to be adjusted for inflation but have not been consistently indexed since 2009, creating an ‘‘inflation gap’’ many districts now cover with referendums. The group recommended an inflationary increase to the revenue limit (an example figure was discussed in the presentation), plus raising the low revenue ceiling to a higher per-pupil floor to reduce funding disparities between wealthy and low-wealth districts.

Board members and staff discussed related topics following the presentation, including open-enrollment and voucher impacts, the district’s special-education costs (the board reported approximately $2,000,000 yearly in special-education expenses that draw only about 30% state reimbursement), and the value of public testimony at legislative hearings.

The presentation was long (the presenter referenced a 65-slide packet prepared by WASBO) and board members said it will inform upcoming budget and advocacy work.

Ending: The board did not vote on policy changes at the meeting. District leaders said they will use the WASBO findings in the district’s budget planning and encouraged community members to contact legislators and attend public budget hearings to press for higher, more predictable state funding.