Green Bay School Budget

School district budget

2007-08 budget plan: $219.4 million, up 3.5 percent from $212.1
million in actual expenditures last year.
Tax levy: Total tax levy is $69.8 million, with a general fund levy
of $55.7 million, a debt service fund levy of $12.5 million and a
community service fund levy of $1.5 million. Total tax levy is up 1.2
percent from last year.

State budget or not, Green Bay School Board OKs spending plan
Funding approved for '07-'08, despite impasse in Madison

By Kelly McBride
kmcbride@greenbaypressgazette.com September 25, 2007

Moving ahead despite the state budget stalemate, the Green Bay School
Board on Monday approved a $219.4 million 2007-08 district budget.

Board members unanimously OK'd the spending plan, which represents a
3.5 percent increase in actual expenditures over last year, at a
special afternoon board meeting.

Officials had to make up a $10 million shortfall through a combination
of revenue enhancements and expenditure reductions, including the loss
of 24.5 full-time equivalent teaching positions, Superintendent Daniel
Nerad said Monday.

Officials originally had hoped to bring this year's budget before the
board in August, before its scheduled adoption Oct. 29.

But the state budget impasse led to a delay, and officials have made
an educated guess regarding how much money they'll get.

The district planned its budget assuming 63.9 percent of its funding
will come from the state, 7.9 percent from the federal government,
26.8 percent from local sources and 1.4 percent from other places.

State funding estimates are based primarily on Gov. Jim Doyle's budget
proposal and current revenue limit law, said Alan Wagner, assistant
superintendent for business and finance.

Unlike last year, the current budget plan does not use any of the
district's fund balance.

The budget proposal includes a 1.2 percent total tax levy increase,
compared with a 0.6 percent increase for 2006-07. The equalized tax
rate is 11 cents — 1.3 percent — lower than 2006-07 at $8.19 per
thousand dollars of equalized value.

Since property tax bills are based on assessed value, however, this
will vary and is not necessarily the amount an individual will see
reflected on his or her property tax bill.

Salaries and benefits continue to make up the bulk of district
expenditures, accounting for more than 85 percent of district costs
for 2007-08.

However, district officials said they were able to minimize that
impact by changing third-party health-care administrators. Thanks to
additional insurance discounts, those costs didn't go up at all for
2007-08, Wagner said.

Looking ahead, officials already are anticipating a $3 million to $4
million shortfall for 2008-09. Officials also hope to implement
4-year-old kindergarten that year.

Starting 4-year-old kindergarten is one way the district hopes to
address persistent achievement gaps between white and minority
students, Nerad said. He hopes addressing inequalities early will help
level the playing field for students.

"At the end of the day, it's a kid that has to meet those standards,"
Nerad said. "There's (so) much at stake."