Annual Meeting has gloomy news on school finances

Talk about it

School district residents are welcome to attend the Annual Meeting at 8 p.m. this Monday at the high school library.

After a presentation on the district’s 2009-10 school-year budget, residents at the meeting will be asked to vote yes or no on the proposed tax levy to support that budget.

According to Finance Director Chad Smurawa, Wisconsin’s recently passed budget will result in the River Falls School District getting almost $1.6 million less in state aid than last school year.

State lawmakers, who had to balance a recession-driven, $6-billion hole, gave much less money to local school districts.

River Falls will get roughly $13.7 million in state aid this school year. Last year it got $15.3 million.

The sudden drop in state aid would have forced the school district to raise the new school tax levy by 14.23%.

Smurawa said instead the school board Business Affairs Committee has decided to take $880,000 from its Reserve Fund and raise the tax levy by 8.3%.

Those two actions, he said, should make up the difference caused by the huge state aid decline.

While the new school year budget and salaries are set, Smurawa said work will begin soon to make large spending cuts for the 2010-11 school year.

At Monday’s Annual Meeting, there will also be a vote on school board annual salaries, which range from $2,000 to $2,400.

And the Annual Meeting will seek authorization to sell obsolete or unneeded school furnishings and equipment.

For more information, call the central office at 425-1800.

Tags: river falls school district, education, k12