MONROE - It could have been worse for area taxpayers, according to area schools' officials.
It may not seem that way to area taxpayers, who having been reaching for their checkbooks as the Jan. 31 deadline to pay the first half of property taxes draws near. But if area school districts have anything in common, it's the refrain that school boards and administrators did their best to hold the line on 2009-2010 school budgets.
And, they say, it could have been worse.
Here's an idea of what area taxpayers will be paying for their public school districts for the 2009-2010 school year.
Monroe
Monroe continued to work to keep expenses in check, administrators said.
"The school board, and the school district as a whole, has really put forth a great deal of effort to be fiscally responsible," Superintendent Larry Brown said at the district's annual meeting in October. "We need to spend money to educate our children, but we don't do that foolishly."
While the $30.3 million budget is up almost 8 percent over the $28.1 million the district actually spent last year, the tax levy and mill rate represent more modest increases.
The total tax levy for 2009-2010 will be $11,892,687, an increase of 3.3 percent from last year. The mill rate, or the amount per $1,000 of a property's value the owner is charged, will increase 1.3 percent to $11.83. That means the owner of a $150,000 home in the district will pay $1,775 in taxes for school purposes, up from $1,752 last year.
Brodhead
This year's total budget is $14,971,980, down about .2 percent from last year's budget of $14,999,679. The tax levy went from $3,390,758 last year to $3,506,429 for 2009-2010, an increase of about 3.2 percent.
The mill rate increased 1.2 percent from $8.35 last year to $8.45. That means the owner of a $100,000 home in Brodhead will pay $845 in property taxes for school purposes this year, up from $835 last year.
Brodhead did eliminate the middle school Family and Consumer Education class and a full-time library position as a result of budget concerns, business manager Steve Swanson said. To help offset expenses, the district was also able to use federal stimulus funds for salaries in Title 1 and special education programs, he added.
Monticello
The levy in Monticello is up almost 18 percent this year, while spending dropped more than 7 percent over last year, an anomaly caused by the referendum passed in 2008, according to Superintendent Karen Ballin.
The total tax levy for 2008-09 was $1,923,513. The tax rate was $10.28 per $1,000 of equalized value. The total tax levy for 2009-2010 is $2,267,541 with a mill rate of $11.95 per $1,000 of equalized value.
That means the owner of a home worth $100,000 in Monticello will pay $1,195 in taxes for school purposes, up from $1,028 the previous year.
"Last year the amount of our budget increase attributable to the referendum was $305,000. In 2010, the budget increase attributable to the referendum is $390,000," Ballin said.
In addition to the referendum authority, the district issued $1.76 million in promissory notes.
"Existing debt ($995,000) on the 1995 addition was refinanced at a lower interest rate and the remainder was slated for capital improvements," Ballin said.
Stagnant property values also caused the levy to increase. "When we planned the referendum, our assumption was that equalized property value would increase at the rate of 4 percent per year ... in reality, our equalized value increased about 1 percent," she said. "Less equalized value means the pool is smaller to spread out the tax levy burden."
New Glarus
New Glarus was able to inch its budget down .24 percent, allocating $12,188,474 for school expenses this year compared to last year's $12,217,843.
The tax levy inched upward 3.6 percent, from $4,220,674 in 2008-2009 to $4,377,768 this year. Similarly, the mill rate is up 3.8 percent; it was $10.12 last year and will be $10.51 in 2010. For the owner of a $100,000 home in New Glarus, a property owner would pay $1,051 in school taxes this year compared to $1,012 last year.
There were a few building project expenses that had to be carried over to this year's budget, business manager Tammy Marty said, but there were no significant program or staff cuts in the budget. One special education position that was budgeted for in anticipation of a student enrolling was eliminated when that student didn't enroll. A full-time secretarial position was also eliminated. Marty said the tax levy was up due to higher debt service payments.
Juda
Juda's total budget increased about 3.1 percent this year, from $4,315,826 in 2008-09 to $4,449,247 this year, Superintendent Gary Schuerell said.
The tax levy went up 10.8 percent, however, from $1,138,387 last year to $1,261,352 for this year. Schuerell said the Juda district lost 2.5 to 3 percent of its state aid this year, hurting the revenue side of the budget. Juda also had a slight decrease in enrollment, meaning a further reduction in state aid, he said.
The resulting mill rate increased from $11.13 last year to $12.06, an increase of 8.4 percent. That means the owner of a $100,000 home in Juda will pay $1,206 in taxes for school purposes this year, compared to $1,113 last year.
Argyle
The budget for Argyle held pretty much the same from last year to this year, according to Yvette Statz, director of business services. It increased 2.5 percent, from $4,794,337 for 2008-09 to $4,916,486 this year.
The tax levy, however, increased 10.8 percent, from $1,316,622 in 2008-09 to $1,459,342 this year. The corresponding mill rate jumped from $10.32 last year to $11.17 this year, an increase of 8.2 percent.
Statz said the valuation in the district went down this year, which is why the tax rate increased.
In addition, the amount of state aid the district received dropped by $155,000, which also increased the amount taxpayers must pay in direct property taxes.
Black Hawk
The Black Hawk school district's budget dropped from $6,024,342 last year to $5,751,587 for this school year - that's a decrease of 4.5 percent.
The tax levy, however, went up almost 8 percent, from $1,942,632 last year to $2,110,500 this year. Likewise, the mill rate went up as well, about 6.5 percent, from $11.72 last year to $12.53 this year. The owner of a $100,000 home would have paid $1,172 in school taxes last year, but will be looking at paying $1,253 for this year.
Superintendent Charles McNulty attributed the increase to less state aid. Black Hawk didn't have to make any significant program or staffing cuts, but it held off on some maintenance projects and didn't add a bus in an effort to hold the budget down, he said. McNulty also noted the district did not levy the full amount it could have under its referendum authority.
Albany
Albany taxpayers will pay more in school taxes this year - almost $2 more per $1,000 of property valuation.
The tax levy in 2008-09 was $1,965,985. This year's levy is $2,428,078, an increase of 23.5 percent. The mill rate likewise increased substantially, from $8.76 last year to $10.70 this year. That means the owner of a $150,000 home in Albany will see property taxes for school purposes increase from $1,314 last year to $1,605 this year.
With the large increases in the levy and mill rate, the school budget this year is $5,036,503, a 7 percent increase from last year's budget of $4,705,323. The district is basically trying to maintain is programming, Albany Superintendent Steve Guenther said.
Driving the increases are two referendum questions passed last April. The first allowed the district to spend $2 million on building renovations, including a new roof and a new heating and cooling system, over the next 10 years. The second part of the referendum allows the district to exceed its revenue cap by $250,000 this year. That amount will increase to $450,000 next year, then $500,000 and finally $550,000 in the referendum's fourth and final year, Guenther said.
The extra $250,000 allowed this year is in addition to the $200,000 allowed under a previous five-year referendum, which is currently in its last year, Guenther said. While it appears that there will be a large jump in the referendum authority next year, it is actually the same as this year when the old and new referendum overlap.
It may not seem that way to area taxpayers, who having been reaching for their checkbooks as the Jan. 31 deadline to pay the first half of property taxes draws near. But if area school districts have anything in common, it's the refrain that school boards and administrators did their best to hold the line on 2009-2010 school budgets.
And, they say, it could have been worse.
Here's an idea of what area taxpayers will be paying for their public school districts for the 2009-2010 school year.
Monroe
Monroe continued to work to keep expenses in check, administrators said.
"The school board, and the school district as a whole, has really put forth a great deal of effort to be fiscally responsible," Superintendent Larry Brown said at the district's annual meeting in October. "We need to spend money to educate our children, but we don't do that foolishly."
While the $30.3 million budget is up almost 8 percent over the $28.1 million the district actually spent last year, the tax levy and mill rate represent more modest increases.
The total tax levy for 2009-2010 will be $11,892,687, an increase of 3.3 percent from last year. The mill rate, or the amount per $1,000 of a property's value the owner is charged, will increase 1.3 percent to $11.83. That means the owner of a $150,000 home in the district will pay $1,775 in taxes for school purposes, up from $1,752 last year.
Brodhead
This year's total budget is $14,971,980, down about .2 percent from last year's budget of $14,999,679. The tax levy went from $3,390,758 last year to $3,506,429 for 2009-2010, an increase of about 3.2 percent.
The mill rate increased 1.2 percent from $8.35 last year to $8.45. That means the owner of a $100,000 home in Brodhead will pay $845 in property taxes for school purposes this year, up from $835 last year.
Brodhead did eliminate the middle school Family and Consumer Education class and a full-time library position as a result of budget concerns, business manager Steve Swanson said. To help offset expenses, the district was also able to use federal stimulus funds for salaries in Title 1 and special education programs, he added.
Monticello
The levy in Monticello is up almost 18 percent this year, while spending dropped more than 7 percent over last year, an anomaly caused by the referendum passed in 2008, according to Superintendent Karen Ballin.
The total tax levy for 2008-09 was $1,923,513. The tax rate was $10.28 per $1,000 of equalized value. The total tax levy for 2009-2010 is $2,267,541 with a mill rate of $11.95 per $1,000 of equalized value.
That means the owner of a home worth $100,000 in Monticello will pay $1,195 in taxes for school purposes, up from $1,028 the previous year.
"Last year the amount of our budget increase attributable to the referendum was $305,000. In 2010, the budget increase attributable to the referendum is $390,000," Ballin said.
In addition to the referendum authority, the district issued $1.76 million in promissory notes.
"Existing debt ($995,000) on the 1995 addition was refinanced at a lower interest rate and the remainder was slated for capital improvements," Ballin said.
Stagnant property values also caused the levy to increase. "When we planned the referendum, our assumption was that equalized property value would increase at the rate of 4 percent per year ... in reality, our equalized value increased about 1 percent," she said. "Less equalized value means the pool is smaller to spread out the tax levy burden."
New Glarus
New Glarus was able to inch its budget down .24 percent, allocating $12,188,474 for school expenses this year compared to last year's $12,217,843.
The tax levy inched upward 3.6 percent, from $4,220,674 in 2008-2009 to $4,377,768 this year. Similarly, the mill rate is up 3.8 percent; it was $10.12 last year and will be $10.51 in 2010. For the owner of a $100,000 home in New Glarus, a property owner would pay $1,051 in school taxes this year compared to $1,012 last year.
There were a few building project expenses that had to be carried over to this year's budget, business manager Tammy Marty said, but there were no significant program or staff cuts in the budget. One special education position that was budgeted for in anticipation of a student enrolling was eliminated when that student didn't enroll. A full-time secretarial position was also eliminated. Marty said the tax levy was up due to higher debt service payments.
Juda
Juda's total budget increased about 3.1 percent this year, from $4,315,826 in 2008-09 to $4,449,247 this year, Superintendent Gary Schuerell said.
The tax levy went up 10.8 percent, however, from $1,138,387 last year to $1,261,352 for this year. Schuerell said the Juda district lost 2.5 to 3 percent of its state aid this year, hurting the revenue side of the budget. Juda also had a slight decrease in enrollment, meaning a further reduction in state aid, he said.
The resulting mill rate increased from $11.13 last year to $12.06, an increase of 8.4 percent. That means the owner of a $100,000 home in Juda will pay $1,206 in taxes for school purposes this year, compared to $1,113 last year.
Argyle
The budget for Argyle held pretty much the same from last year to this year, according to Yvette Statz, director of business services. It increased 2.5 percent, from $4,794,337 for 2008-09 to $4,916,486 this year.
The tax levy, however, increased 10.8 percent, from $1,316,622 in 2008-09 to $1,459,342 this year. The corresponding mill rate jumped from $10.32 last year to $11.17 this year, an increase of 8.2 percent.
Statz said the valuation in the district went down this year, which is why the tax rate increased.
In addition, the amount of state aid the district received dropped by $155,000, which also increased the amount taxpayers must pay in direct property taxes.
Black Hawk
The Black Hawk school district's budget dropped from $6,024,342 last year to $5,751,587 for this school year - that's a decrease of 4.5 percent.
The tax levy, however, went up almost 8 percent, from $1,942,632 last year to $2,110,500 this year. Likewise, the mill rate went up as well, about 6.5 percent, from $11.72 last year to $12.53 this year. The owner of a $100,000 home would have paid $1,172 in school taxes last year, but will be looking at paying $1,253 for this year.
Superintendent Charles McNulty attributed the increase to less state aid. Black Hawk didn't have to make any significant program or staffing cuts, but it held off on some maintenance projects and didn't add a bus in an effort to hold the budget down, he said. McNulty also noted the district did not levy the full amount it could have under its referendum authority.
Albany
Albany taxpayers will pay more in school taxes this year - almost $2 more per $1,000 of property valuation.
The tax levy in 2008-09 was $1,965,985. This year's levy is $2,428,078, an increase of 23.5 percent. The mill rate likewise increased substantially, from $8.76 last year to $10.70 this year. That means the owner of a $150,000 home in Albany will see property taxes for school purposes increase from $1,314 last year to $1,605 this year.
With the large increases in the levy and mill rate, the school budget this year is $5,036,503, a 7 percent increase from last year's budget of $4,705,323. The district is basically trying to maintain is programming, Albany Superintendent Steve Guenther said.
Driving the increases are two referendum questions passed last April. The first allowed the district to spend $2 million on building renovations, including a new roof and a new heating and cooling system, over the next 10 years. The second part of the referendum allows the district to exceed its revenue cap by $250,000 this year. That amount will increase to $450,000 next year, then $500,000 and finally $550,000 in the referendum's fourth and final year, Guenther said.
The extra $250,000 allowed this year is in addition to the $200,000 allowed under a previous five-year referendum, which is currently in its last year, Guenther said. While it appears that there will be a large jump in the referendum authority next year, it is actually the same as this year when the old and new referendum overlap.