By Brian Gray
bgray@ themonroetimes.com
BRODHEAD - Brodhead school district residents approved a 0.38 percent levy increase for the 2010-11 school year at the district's annual meeting Monday at the high school.
The 2010-11 tax levy, or the total tax amount district residents will pay of the 2010-11 budget, is about $3.5 million, an increase of $13,431 over last year's levy, according to superintendent Charles Deery.
The new tax rate of $8.48 per $1,000 of equalized property value is up three cents from last year's $8.45. That means a Brodhead school district resident with a home valued at $100,000 will pay $848 in school taxes, compared to $845 last year. The owner of a $300,000 farm will pay $2,544 in school taxes, compared to $2,535 last year.
The overall budget for the district for the 2010-11 school year will be about $12.2 million, which is about $200,000 more than last year. Deery said the increase is from money the district received from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which it received last year and can carry over until the end of the 2010-11 school year.
Deery called the district's budget "the tightest budget we ever built."
Deery said the district faced a deficit of about $400,000 before it made cuts last spring, following the defeat of two referendums that requested permission for the district to exceed state-mandated revenue caps.
On Feb. 16, residents voted 1,027 to 838 against allowing the district to exceed revenue limits. Less than two months later, on April 6, district residents voted 1,255 to 960 against allowing the district to exceed property tax revenue limits.
The district cut five teaching positions and one guidance counselor position in April, which eliminated about $330,000 from the expected deficit. Deery said the district made up the rest of the deficit by combining the middle school principal position with the pupil services position. Middle school principal Charles Urness resigned from the district a few weeks ago. Lisa Semrow, was appointed middle school principal in addition to her duties as district pupil services director.
About 12 residents attended the annual meeting, which surprised board president Theresa Earleywine.
"I had expected to see more people here tonight," she said.
Earleywine said there were large numbers of people at special board meetings during the debate about the referendums, and many of the people who attended the meetings said they wanted to learn about the district's budget.
The board will vote on a final budget in October. At that time, the board will have final enrollment numbers as well as more information about state aid.
bgray@ themonroetimes.com
BRODHEAD - Brodhead school district residents approved a 0.38 percent levy increase for the 2010-11 school year at the district's annual meeting Monday at the high school.
The 2010-11 tax levy, or the total tax amount district residents will pay of the 2010-11 budget, is about $3.5 million, an increase of $13,431 over last year's levy, according to superintendent Charles Deery.
The new tax rate of $8.48 per $1,000 of equalized property value is up three cents from last year's $8.45. That means a Brodhead school district resident with a home valued at $100,000 will pay $848 in school taxes, compared to $845 last year. The owner of a $300,000 farm will pay $2,544 in school taxes, compared to $2,535 last year.
The overall budget for the district for the 2010-11 school year will be about $12.2 million, which is about $200,000 more than last year. Deery said the increase is from money the district received from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which it received last year and can carry over until the end of the 2010-11 school year.
Deery called the district's budget "the tightest budget we ever built."
Deery said the district faced a deficit of about $400,000 before it made cuts last spring, following the defeat of two referendums that requested permission for the district to exceed state-mandated revenue caps.
On Feb. 16, residents voted 1,027 to 838 against allowing the district to exceed revenue limits. Less than two months later, on April 6, district residents voted 1,255 to 960 against allowing the district to exceed property tax revenue limits.
The district cut five teaching positions and one guidance counselor position in April, which eliminated about $330,000 from the expected deficit. Deery said the district made up the rest of the deficit by combining the middle school principal position with the pupil services position. Middle school principal Charles Urness resigned from the district a few weeks ago. Lisa Semrow, was appointed middle school principal in addition to her duties as district pupil services director.
About 12 residents attended the annual meeting, which surprised board president Theresa Earleywine.
"I had expected to see more people here tonight," she said.
Earleywine said there were large numbers of people at special board meetings during the debate about the referendums, and many of the people who attended the meetings said they wanted to learn about the district's budget.
The board will vote on a final budget in October. At that time, the board will have final enrollment numbers as well as more information about state aid.