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Superintendent outlines budget shifts: state aid change, special‑ed reimbursement gain and frozen federal titles
Summary
Superintendent Gajewski briefed the board on a $325 per‑pupil adjustment no longer aided by the state, improved special‑education reimbursement, a $1,140 open‑enrollment tuition increase, and frozen federal Title funding affecting ELL and professional learning programs.
Superintendent Gajewski told the Racine Unified School Board on July 21 that recent state and federal budget changes will reshape district revenues and the tax levy for 2025–26.
Gajewski said the $325 per‑pupil adjustment enacted in the prior state budget is no longer state‑aided and will instead affect the district tax levy. "This is something that is achievable through the tax levy," he said, noting the district will track impacts as numbers finalize in October.
The district expects an increase in special‑education reimbursement to about 42% for the current year and 45% the next year; Gajewski said this change provides roughly $6,470,000 into the budget for the current year. He also noted a separate increase in high‑cost special‑education reimbursement to 50% will net about $500,000.
Gajewski described an "under‑the‑radar" increase in the open‑enrollment tuition rate paid to host districts when students leave Racine by open enrollment. He said the state raised the per‑pupil open‑enrollment payment by $1,140, bringing it to about $11,000 per pupil and reducing Racine Unified’s budget by approximately $2,400,000.
On federal funding, Gajewski said Title IV — which supports after‑school activities — was recently restored after a weekend decision, but Title II (professional learning) and Title III (English language learners) remain frozen, costing the district a little more than $1 million. "We did account for that," he said, but added that without federal release the district would cover those programs from its regular budget.
Board members asked for clarifications. When asked about the number of ELL students, Gajewski gave a districtwide estimate of about 1,500 ELL/ESL students and confirmed the students speak many languages. A board member asked why open‑enrollment tuition increased; Gajewski said he did not know the rationale and that the increase represents roughly an 11%–12% year‑over‑year rise.
Gajewski also noted other budget items: the $325 per‑pupil adjustment was enacted under a prior veto and remains a district levy issue; district leaders will have more exact figures when state and federal allocations are finalized in fall. He invited questions from the board and said staff will return with detailed budget numbers in October when state aid and federal funding are final.
Sources: Superintendent presentation and exchanges at the July 21 board meeting.
