Janesville board approves preliminary $166 million budget amid state revenue-limit changes
July 12, 2023 | Janesville School District, School Districts, Wisconsin
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The Janesville School District board on July 11 approved a preliminary 2023–24 budget, authorizing the district to begin obligations for the fiscal year while officials refine figures before final approval in October.
Mr. McCray, who presented the budget, opened with context from the recently signed state biennial budget, saying districts will receive a per-member revenue-limit increase of $325 in year one and another $325 in year two. He told the board that some funding that might otherwise have been distributed as per-pupil categorical aid was shifted into per-member revenue-limit authority and that the special-education reimbursement rate moved from about 30% toward roughly 33.3% in the current budget package.
Why it matters: the revenue-limit increase gives local districts additional levy authority but does not fully translate to new, unrestricted dollars; equalization aid and other offsets determine how much cost shifts to local taxpayers. McCray warned that changes in revenue-limit authority can increase modeled levy figures even as equalization aid changes counterbalance some local tax impact.
During the presentation McCray explained distinctions the board will monitor in coming months: enrollment versus membership (membership includes resident students who open-enroll out and affects revenue-limit calculations), the district’s low revenue-limit ceiling (transcript cites roughly $10,002 per student moving toward about $11,000), and the interaction between Fund 10 and Fund 27 in budget modeling. He also discussed one-time versus recurring spending, noting the board should avoid committing new recurring expenses that could create future deficits.
Board members asked specific questions about federal ESSER funds and capital funds. McCray said ESSER funds must be expended by Sept. 30, 2024, and that most ESSER money has already been earmarked, with about half planned for repairs/condition work at Franklin. He clarified Fund 46 is a long-term capital-improvement fund while Fund 41 is targeted to capital maintenance under the district’s revenue-limit authority; that distinction affects whether projects such as field or bleacher work are coded as maintenance or improvements.
The board debated the utility of approving a preliminary figure in July and Mr. McCray described the vote as a long-standing practice that provides legal authorization to obligate funds for summer obligations while numbers are refined in the coming months. The board recorded a unanimous vote to approve the preliminary budget; the transcript records the figure discussed as approximately $166,000,000 to $167,000,000, with Mr. McCray later describing the memo’s modeled aggregate at about $166,000,000.
What’s next: final equalized property values and the September count will inform October’s formal budget adoption. The board will revisit the budget and any adjustments before the annual meeting.
Mr. McCray, who presented the budget, opened with context from the recently signed state biennial budget, saying districts will receive a per-member revenue-limit increase of $325 in year one and another $325 in year two. He told the board that some funding that might otherwise have been distributed as per-pupil categorical aid was shifted into per-member revenue-limit authority and that the special-education reimbursement rate moved from about 30% toward roughly 33.3% in the current budget package.
Why it matters: the revenue-limit increase gives local districts additional levy authority but does not fully translate to new, unrestricted dollars; equalization aid and other offsets determine how much cost shifts to local taxpayers. McCray warned that changes in revenue-limit authority can increase modeled levy figures even as equalization aid changes counterbalance some local tax impact.
During the presentation McCray explained distinctions the board will monitor in coming months: enrollment versus membership (membership includes resident students who open-enroll out and affects revenue-limit calculations), the district’s low revenue-limit ceiling (transcript cites roughly $10,002 per student moving toward about $11,000), and the interaction between Fund 10 and Fund 27 in budget modeling. He also discussed one-time versus recurring spending, noting the board should avoid committing new recurring expenses that could create future deficits.
Board members asked specific questions about federal ESSER funds and capital funds. McCray said ESSER funds must be expended by Sept. 30, 2024, and that most ESSER money has already been earmarked, with about half planned for repairs/condition work at Franklin. He clarified Fund 46 is a long-term capital-improvement fund while Fund 41 is targeted to capital maintenance under the district’s revenue-limit authority; that distinction affects whether projects such as field or bleacher work are coded as maintenance or improvements.
The board debated the utility of approving a preliminary figure in July and Mr. McCray described the vote as a long-standing practice that provides legal authorization to obligate funds for summer obligations while numbers are refined in the coming months. The board recorded a unanimous vote to approve the preliminary budget; the transcript records the figure discussed as approximately $166,000,000 to $167,000,000, with Mr. McCray later describing the memo’s modeled aggregate at about $166,000,000.
What’s next: final equalized property values and the September count will inform October’s formal budget adoption. The board will revisit the budget and any adjustments before the annual meeting.
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