Our district’s financial challenges largely stem from the state of Wisconsin’s school funding formula. The State’s allocation for public schools has failed to keep pace with inflation since 2009. This lack of state funding was masked by one-time federal COVID relief funds that are now coming to an end, revealing a significant lack of funding for schools across the state.
Additionally, expenses continue to rise across all areas of our operations due to factors out of our control. This includes an increase in liability, property, and workers’ compensation insurance. The bus driver shortage has caused our transportation contract to increase, and a demand for quality workers, has driven up the cost of custodial services, which also affects our annual expenses.
Limited revenue and rising costs have also prevented the district from providing sufficient wage increases for our teachers and staff to match the consumer price index (CPI- a measure of an appropriate cost of living increase).
To learn more, click on the links below to watch videos prepared by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction: