Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the State Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board hears legislative update: state budget delay, limited special‑education money and possible $325 per‑pupil shift to property tax
Summary
A board legislative update June 23 warned the state budget may be delayed past July 1 and that a Joint Finance Committee proposal to shift $325 per pupil from state aid to local property taxes could raise the district’s mill rate.
Board member Jeanette provided a legislative update June 23, telling the Green Bay Area Public School District board that the state budget was unlikely to be finalized by July 1 and that some claimed increases in special‑education funding apply narrowly to high‑cost special‑education aid.
Jeanette said the proposed high‑cost special education aid increase would affect about 0.5% of all students statewide and about 3% of special‑education students; she cautioned that phrasing the increase as broad support for special education can be misleading given the narrow scope of the funding. Jeanette urged residents to contact legislators about the budget, saying unallocated state funds could be used to better support education.
Superintendent Vicky Beyer told the board that if the Joint Finance Committee proposal were adopted, a $325 per‑pupil shift currently funded by state aid would instead come from local property owners and would increase the local mill rate. Beyer said, "If the state legislature adopts the proposal that came from the joint finance committee, that $325 per pupil additional fees or funds that right now are coming out of state aid would shift to local property owners." She estimated the district impact of the high‑needs special‑education change at roughly $200,000, which she said would cover perhaps two high‑needs students in the district.
Board members asked about Act 20 funding and whether it would be released; Jeanette said the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) expected it not to be funded and that unspent Act 20 money would revert to the general fund. The board requested that administration provide further clarity on how state budget changes could affect the district’s spending cap and mill rate as negotiations continue.
No formal board action was taken; the update was informational and board members asked for follow‑up briefings as the budget process proceeds.
