Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget And Fees topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves preliminary 2026–27 budget, discusses fee waivers for low‑income students
Summary
The West Allis‑West Milwaukee School Board approved a preliminary 2026–27 budget and tax levy and discussed a proposal to waive school, athletic and music fees for students who qualify for free or reduced status; administrators said the estimated cost to waive participation fees is modest and could be offset by direct certification and broader benefits to student participation.
The West Allis‑West Milwaukee School Board approved a preliminary 2026–27 budget and tax levy during its June 22 meeting while discussing a related proposal to waive fees for students who qualify as free or reduced through direct certification.
Aaron Norris summarized the budget, projecting a planned $1.7 million deficit that district leaders said is covered by previously allocated fund balance commitments (including compensation and transformation positions). He described state revenue changes — including a $325 per‑pupil increase and a special‑education reimbursement projection around 38–39.5% — and said the district is planning conservatively for mill‑rate and state‑aid outcomes. Norris said the district projects roughly $767 in taxes per $100,000 of equalized value under current assumptions.
On school fees, Norris recommended waiving school fees, athletic participation fees and music participation fees for students who directly qualify as free or reduced. He said the district calculated athletic and music participation waivers at about $32,000 (based on 395 assessed athletic fee participants in 2025–26) and school‑fee waivers at about $24,000 under the proposed approach.
Board discussion focused on practical impacts and equity. Member Lee and others supported fee removal but asked administrators to consider downstream costs for low‑income families — for example, instrument rentals, equipment or multiple competition outfits that could still create financial barriers. Board members requested data collection on Chromebook damage, tardies related to locker transitions, and assurance that the district will provide an initial grace period while students learn new routines.
Board action: the board moved, seconded and approved the preliminary 2026–27 budget and levy (item 10.3) by voice vote. The transcript records the budget vote and subsequent approvals of related action items (10.4 school needs and 10.5 property/liability/workers’ compensation insurance). No specific dollar reallocation for fee waivers was approved that night; administrators said they would bring formal recommendations and implementation details back to the board in July/August as staffing and state‑aid estimates are finalized.
Next steps: administrators said they will finalize health‑insurance renewal options and present a self‑funding analysis, brief committees on recreation projects and financial stabilization in July, and return with more detailed fee‑waiver mechanics (including direct‑certification implementation and monitoring of incidental costs such as instrument breakage).
