Nov. 5th Operating Levy

The graph provided shows that if per-pupil aid was still tied to inflation Prescott School District would be receiving over $4 million more revenue than it currently receives. PSD must turn to its community to help bridge the gap between insufficient funding and the ability to maintain and invest in its people, programs and performance.

• Staff Compensation:  The majority of our budget goes toward staff compensation and benefits (83%). Our staff remain committed to a model of continuous improvement that has produced excellent results proven in the recent Wisconsin Academic Report Card: PSD ranks:  #1 among MBC districts and is in the Top 10% for Academic Achievement and Top 15% in Student Growth in Wisconsin and has numerous state champion athletics and activities teams.
  • However, staff compensation has fallen behind our neighboring districts.  

PSD’s starting salary and compensation must be market competitive to attract and retain high-quality educators.

The cost of heating, cooling, powering, repairing and maintaining our buildings has risen at a steady rate while funding support has steadily fallen behind.  

Line 1 displays the new voter-approved operating levy mill rate.

Line 2 displays the previous mill rate

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Wisconsin's Public Schools funding model is outdated (Established in 1993) and is broken. Did you know that per-pupil funding varies by district? Prescott is well below per-pupil funding compared to neighboring districts. This creates inequities among districts that are asked to do more with less. 

In addition, Prescott like all Public School Districts is required to ensure special education programming costs are balanced each year. On average, over $1.8 Million of PSD general fund dollars are required to make special education programming balance financially annually. The state of WI does NOT reimburse the cost for Special Education Services and funds approximately 32 cents on the dollar of true costs for all districts. 

• During the academic year of 2023-24, PSD made over $600,000 worth of cuts. Following the unsupported April 2, 2024, Operating Levy more than $1.2 Million dollars of reductions occurred. 
  • Cuts were made to staff, in-town bussing, academic programs, and elimination of C-Team Athletic competitions.

During the 2023-24 school year, the district reduced its budget by $600K of reductions and continued with over $1.2M in cuts after the unsuccessful April 5th referendum vote. These difficult cuts included a reduction in staff throughout the organization, as well as valuable district wide programming and services/options for students.

PSD administration and the school board have:

• Invested in energy-efficient boilers, LED lighting, and chillers to suppress the rising utility costs.
• Repackaged and pre-paid bond loan payments saving taxpayers money.
• Significantly reduced post-retirement benefits for administration and raised the eligibility requirements to access. 
   

With a supported Nov. 5 vote, there will be a slight ANNUAL increase in the school portion of residents’ property taxes of about $6.60 per $100,000 of assessed property value, i.e. $26.40 on $400,000, etc.
 

• Staff Compensation: Improve starting salaries and market competitiveness to attract and retain our highly qualified staff so that student performance continues to excel in Academics, Athletics, and the Arts.
• Educational Programming: Invest in instructional models, and curriculum, such as early literacy and math curriculum, Building Thinking Classrooms, and staff development resources to sustain the elevated academic outcomes of students.
• Reinstating Athletics & Extracurricular Programming cuts: Allowing PSD to maintain and expand programs for all students.
• Operational Expenses: Address rising costs for building maintenance and utilities. 
   

School Board Response.  As the School Board reviewed areas to cut after the unsupported April vote, one guiding principle was to distinguish between required and not required services. In addition, if a service provided was not reimbursed through state aid, those items would be eliminated.

• The school board is aware of the inconvenience/hardship that the elimination of busing within a 2-mile radius has posed for many individuals. However, the state statute is specific that busing within 2 miles is considered an elective vs. required service.  
• PSD has been providing this non-required to families, but PSD can no longer justify this non-reimbursed service.  

An operational referendum provides school districts additional, voter-approved, tax levy authority for each of the following years after it is approved. Operating referendums have become essential for schools to successfully operate since revenue caps were put into place in the mid-90s.

• With declining enrollment and increasing facility costs, the board wants to engage the community on how best to consolidate the instructional grades into three facilities to reduce overall costs and provide efficiencies in staffing.
• The School Board has stated that this process will include our teaching staff, employees, parents and community members if the operating levy is supported through a comprehensive long term plan, Vision 2035.
• If the operating levy is not supported, it is likely to accelerate the consolidation in a reactionary v. proactive intentional manner
• The 125 Elm St. facility generates income through a lease with Northwest Journey. The gym is a community-wide asset providing access year-round for students and community members, PCR, and Varsity athletics such as Pickleball, Basketball and Volleyball.

The Mill Rate formula appears below showing the combined equalized property value (EPV) of Prescott School District’s five municipalities as of July 1, 2024.  THE PRIMARY DIFFERENCE between the April and November Mill Rate is that the EPV of the combined personal and commercial property values has increased by over $135,750,000.