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Waunakee board approves third draft of 2025–26 budget amid state aid redistribution
Summary
The Waunakee School Board approved a third draft of the 2025–26 budget after hearing staff explain a mix of increased state “spendable” revenues and a redistribution of equalization aid that raises local levy pressure. Board members voted to advance the draft and will consider levy-reduction options at an August workshop.
The Waunakee School Board approved the third draft of its 2025–26 budget on a voice vote after staff described both large increases in state-directed “spendable” revenues and a simultaneous redistribution of state equalization aid that reduced aid to many Dane County districts.
School business staff described the state budget as producing “one of the most significant increases in spendable revenues” for schools, including a $325-per-student increase in the revenue limit formula and larger special-education categorical aid and high-cost special-education reimbursements. At the same time, staff said a redistribution of state equalization aid resulted in a roughly $1.9 million swing from earlier estimates for Waunakee, leaving local property taxpayers to fund a portion of the statewide per-student increase.
Why it matters: The combination of higher state-directed per-student dollars and a reallocation of equalization aid changes how much revenue the district sees from the state versus local property taxes. Board members were told the net effect is a larger starting levy figure than in recent years and that impacts will vary by community depending on local equalized values and new construction.
Staff presentation and board response Steve (staff member) and Ally (staff member) walked the board through line-by-line changes between the second and third draft: open-enrollment revenue rose from about $2.7 million to nearly $3.1 million in the draft; high-cost special-education aid projections increased (from roughly $375,000 to $775,000 in the model); and special-education categorical aid estimates rose as well. Staff also called out a $266,000 revenue source that was moved inside the district’s revenue limit as part of the state budget adjustments.
Board members asked about the timing of property-value data used to calculate the tax levy. Staff said municipalities receive new-construction reports from the State Department of Revenue in August and that the state publishes equalized values around Oct. 1. The board was told that the district will refine levy numbers as that data arrives.
Program and operating changes included in the draft The third draft also includes programmatic items staff described as priorities for the coming year: an internal alternative-education placement staffed by district personnel (initially small scale), transportation budget changes to better serve McKinney-Vento students, added contingency and OPEB contributions, and modest increases to legal and termination-benefit funding. Staff described the alternative-placement plan as a lower-cost alternative to full external placements and said it would begin with a small cohort drawn from the intermediate grades.
Next steps The board approved the third draft and staff said they will present more detailed levy and long-term financial planning options at a board workshop in August. Board members directed staff to prepare options for lowering the levy for discussion at that workshop.
Vote and action The motion to approve the third draft passed on a voice vote with all members saying “aye.”
