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District staff warns mill rate could rise to about $7.40 after zero state aid
Summary
District financial staff told the Whitnall School Board that a lack of state aid could push the projected mill rate to roughly $7.40 (about a 22-cent increase), and said receiving similar aid as last year would have lowered the rate to about 6.81 and reduced the levy by roughly $250,000.
District financial staff told the Whitnall School Board during a budget presentation that the district projects its mill rate could rise to about $7.40 for the coming year, an increase they attributed to receiving no state aid. "Strictly because we got 0 state aid," the staff member said, describing the impact on local taxpayers.
The presenter said the district had previously projected a mill rate of $7.18 and that, with the same state aid received last year (the speaker referenced approximately $12.8 million), the mill rate would have fallen to about 6.81 and the district levy would have been roughly $250,000 less. The exact prior-aid figure was spoken with some ambiguity in the record.
Board members pressed for clear communication to taxpayers about the change from earlier projections. One committee member said the board "have to communicate that really, really well because that's what we told people," stressing the need to explain why the rate projection changed.
Officials also noted other budget uncertainties. The staff member said auditors are returning to finalize numbers and that planned transfers into fund 46 have been reduced for conservatism while final figures are confirmed. The board discussed a planned levy of about $193,000 for Fund 80 to cover community-oriented projects; the staff cited a roughly $120,000 lighting project and other carryover items for athletic and facility work as primary uses.
District representatives flagged that some DPI (Department of Public Instruction) figures were in flux and that litigation and state-level changes could affect final aid calculations. A board member noted a DPI worksheet showing a reduction tied to Whitnall but also said the accuracy of those figures was uncertain.
The budget presentation closed with officials saying the budget is balanced for now, but that final numbers, including health insurance and audit adjustments, could change the totals before the board takes final action.
