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Board hears state budget change will cut roughly $200,000 from Cuba City schools; administrators plan revised budget model
Summary
At its July meeting the Cuba City School District learned the state removed a $325 per-pupil payment, a change administrators estimate will reduce district revenue by roughly $200,000 annually; staff said higher open-enrollment payments and improved special-education reimbursement rates may partly offset the loss and will revise the budget model for the fall.
The Cuba City School District Board of Education was told July that a recent state budget change will reduce district revenue and force staff to rework the 2025–26 budget model.
At the meeting the district’s business manager (listed in the minutes as the Business Manager) said the state removed a previously expected $325-per-pupil payment, a shift the district estimates will mean “about $200,000 every single fiscal year” in lower revenue unless the board raises local property taxes. The Business Manager cautioned the figure is an estimate while staff finish the formal budget closeout for the prior fiscal year.
Why it matters: the cut comes as the district also faces both shifts that help and hurt finances. The Business Manager said open-enrollment revenue for 2024–25 totaled “a little more than $432,000” (about 50 FTE), and the state increased reimbursement targets for special education (from roughly 30% in practice toward 42% for 2025–26 and 45% thereafter). The district reported it spends about $1.85 million on special education overall and that higher reimbursement percentages and extra open-enrollment funding could offset portions—but not necessarily all—of the lost $325 payment.
Board members pressed staff for a clear forecast. One trustee asked for a new draft budget and revenue-limit worksheet; staff said they will return with updated modeling before later budget deadlines so trustees can see the mill-rate implications and whether to leave the municipal tax levy unchanged or adjust it to preserve programs.
Board direction and next steps: administrators said they are already modifying the district budget model to reflect the July 3 state changes and expect to present a draft in fall budget work sessions. Trustees asked staff to aim for a draft that the board can review at an upcoming meeting and to keep the community informed about how any revenue changes could affect local property-tax rates.
The board did not vote on a tax change at the meeting; the Business Manager said final figures will depend on the full fiscal-year close and auditors’ reports.
