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Wausau School District committee adopts budget-reconciliation plan outlining $1.7 million in cuts and targeted pay boosts for special‑education aides
Summary
The Committee of the Whole received a budget reconciliation plan showing a $1.7 million reduction target for 2026–27, approval to use savings from staff reductions and fund reallocations, and recommended modest pay increases for special-education paraprofessionals and health aides; the plan was approved for budget‑development purposes.
The Wausau School District Committee of the Whole on April 27 reviewed and approved a budget-reconciliation plan that aims to reduce spending by $1,700,000 for the 2026–27 school year and to balance Fund 10 for budget development purposes only.
The Assistant Superintendent of Operations (presenter) told the committee the plan relies primarily on staffing changes—including a reduction of 16.9 certified classroom positions and a 0.5 reduction in administrative staff—and several technical adjustments to district funds and reimbursements. The presenter said an updated high-cost special-education reimbursement review yielded about $200,000 in additional revenue.
The presentation outlined specific requests to align pay and staffing with market conditions and program needs: a salary adjustment for speech-language pathologists, a $1.50 (to $2.50 mentioned variably) increase for special-education paraprofessionals and health aides funded in part from Fund 27, conversion of some part‑time WAVE administrative time to a full‑time allocation to match school calendars, a 0.3 increase to create a full‑time math resource position at Wausau East, and proposals to make high‑school athletic administrative assistants full‑time allocations to handle summer registration and related clerical work.
Board members questioned several specifics, including the $16,000 request to expand administrative assistant time for athletics instead of extending athletic director contracts. One board member argued the athletic directors should perform or absorb that July work within their current contracts; another said clerical support in July helps process registrations and paperwork that arrive throughout the month. The Assistant Superintendent acknowledged contract differences and said the $0.36 FTE for athletics would be split between the two high schools.
A board member urged the district to publicize the consolidation savings and other cost‑management steps ahead of any possible referendum to build community confidence. The presenter noted the district and state limits on referenda (two questions annually) and gave a statewide context of recent referendum results as the board plans its long‑term strategy.
After discussion, the committee approved a motion to accept the budget reconciliation plan as presented for budget‑development purposes only. The motion carried by voice vote.
Next steps: The plan will be used to build the 2026–27 budget and any staffing or compensation changes will return for formal action at a future regular board meeting.
