Pewaukee School Board hears Chartwells report, budget update and capital-project timing

The Pewaukee School District Board on Nov. 10 received a food-service and financial update from Chartwells and district business staff and approved the business affairs report.

Stacy (board member) said Chartwells reported breakfast participation is up “about 4%,” and the vendor served roughly 280,000 lunches this year, with a la carte sales around $294,000 annually. “Donato…summarized what they’ve got going on,” a committee report noted, emphasizing a focus on healthy meal choices.

Business-affairs discussion highlighted several pieces of kitchen equipment nearing the end of their useful lives; staff repeatedly cited the need to replace freezers in multiple locations. Finance discussion also covered equalization aid timing: staff reported the district has received about $795,000 of a prior-year amount and expects a larger distribution of roughly $4,000,000 in the next payment cycle. To manage cash flow, staff said the district will likely take a short-term draw on the line of credit of approximately $1,000,000, with the expectation of repaying it quickly.

The board was updated on the district’s capital project budget and schedule. Business-affairs staff said about $10,000,000 remains in the project fund and that project expenses have lagged budgeted timing, which has modestly increased interest earnings. Project staff said phase one construction is progressing quickly, with furniture and equipment deliveries anticipated around Dec. 15 and district spaces likely available for use in January.

A motion to approve the business affairs report passed with one abstention. The board did not change dues or services related to its membership in the Southeast Wisconsin Schools Alliance during this discussion; a separate agenda item addressed the SWSA fiscal-agent change.