District finance update: iPad spending, bid variances and double-payment recoveries

The Wausau School District Committee of the Whole received an update on March 23 about the status of projects funded by the 2022 referendum.

"We had approval from the board to purchase the iPads for the middle school," the assistant superintendent said, reporting $3,000,000 originally budgeted with $2,000,000 already spent. She said some owner-direct purchases are included in that total.

Bids opened for Franklin Elementary and Rib Mountain on March 12 and came in higher than early estimates—she said roughly 9% over initial budget projections—but remained within the committee’s authorized bid thresholds; John Marshall and Lincoln bids (opened March 5) came in lower than expected. The assistant superintendent said staff are reconciling bills with Nexus and the business office to reflect accurate expenditures.

During reconciliation, the district discovered duplicate payments: about $13,000 associated with the school forest project and about $24,000 at Satine Elementary; the district is working with its vendor Nexus to recover those amounts. Wausau West’s accounting shows a $215,000 increase in costs as bills are finalized, but overall the district reported being about $1.9 million under budget on the referenced line items and will align remaining decisions with the referendum’s stated public priorities.

Committee members asked whether fencing work could be covered by referendum funds and whether timing of rentals for district auditoriums could be adjusted; staff said they would add items to a priority list for consideration.