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Germantown board approves mileage rate, budget adjustments, travel requests, sets open-enrollment seats at zero and signs administrative contracts

Germantown School District Board of Education · January 21, 2026
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Summary

At its Jan. 20 meeting the Germantown School District board approved a set of routine and substantive items: a 2026 mileage rate of 72.5 cents per mile and GSA meal per diems, budget adjustments for 2025-26, several overnight student trips, and a motion to set zero open-enrollment seats for 2026-27; the board also approved multiple administrative contracts after a closed session.

The Germantown School District Board of Education on Jan. 20 approved a series of motions advancing routine administration and several substantive decisions.

Votes at a glance

- Mileage and meals: The board moved to forward to the full board (finance committee recommendation) and approved a 2026 mileage reimbursement rate of 72.5 cents per mile and adoption of the U.S. General Services Administration meal per diem rates for January 2026 (Breakfast $16, Lunch $19, Dinner $28). Motion carried by voice vote after clarifying the cents/decimal format.

- Budget adjustments: The board approved a set of six 2025-26 budget adjustments (Title III change, increased library aid, capital timing changes, a United Way grant, Educator Effectiveness grant increase, and special education revenue offsets). The packet showed the changes net to zero and committee recommended forwarding with a positive recommendation.

- Overnight travel: The board approved overnight travel for KMS and GHS HOSA state leadership conferences and potential national competition travel for advancing students, plus the GHS choir camp trip (motions seconded and carried).

- Open enrollment seats for 2026-27: Administration recommended and the board approved setting 0 new open-enrollment seats for regular education and 0 for special education for 2026-27, citing current projections, staff capacity and revenue-limit considerations. The board also grandfathered currently enrolled nonresident students who remain continuously enrolled.

- Administrative contracts: After a closed session under Wisconsin statutes related to personnel and negotiations, the board approved multiple administrative contracts for district leaders as presented; motions and votes were recorded on reconvening.

Notes and context

Board members and administration repeatedly emphasized that the open-enrollment decision was driven by projected staffing levels, funding formulas and capacity considerations: administration said open-enrollment students typically arrive unfunded relative to district per-pupil cost and that adding seats could increase class sizes or require additional staffing without commensurate revenue.

Motions where available were recorded on the record (movers and seconders were named in the transcript when spoken); most votes were taken by voice and recorded as "aye" with no roll-call tallies shown in the public transcript excerpts.

What comes next

Finance and administration will continue budget planning informed by the revenue-limit presentation and will return to the board on the transportation committee recommendation in February. The board asked staff to provide details for route-level costs and vendor coordination when future transportation recommendations are considered.