McFarland board sets Oct. 20 annual meeting, approves 20‑year ice‑arena agreement and boys volleyball coop

The McFarland School District Board of Education on Sept. 15 set its annual meeting and budget hearing for Oct. 20 and approved a package of agenda items that included a 20‑year use agreement with the McFarland Community Ice Arena and a WIAA boys volleyball cooperative sponsorship. Board members also completed a first reading of multiple policy revisions and received presentations on the Wisconsin Virtual Academy annual performance report and the district's budget outlook.

The board scheduled the annual meeting and budget hearing for Oct. 20, 2025, and authorized publication of the required budget summary so the public will receive notice before that meeting. District staff told the board the district cannot finalize its state aid figures until the state completes audits for several large districts and publishes final equalized values and aid notices in October; district staff said final state aid figures are expected Oct. 15 and equalized property values on Oct. 1. Administrators warned those pending state figures could change the revenue picture before the district adopts a final tax levy at the annual meeting.

Board members and administrators framed the timing as routine but cautioned that recent state guidance had reduced the district's projected state aid. Staff reported a July 1 state…