Assistant superintendent briefs West Bend board on multi‑year budget forecast; early outlook shows compounding deficits

Assistant Superintendent Lenny Hansen presented an overview of the West Bend School District's multi‑year budget forecasting process, describing how the administration sets assumptions for enrollment, revenue and expenditures and uses financial advisers and professional organizations to inform those assumptions.

Hansen said the district draws on advisers including R.W. Baird and industry groups such as the Wisconsin Association of School Boards and cited sources like the Kaiser Family Foundation for long‑term health‑insurance trend data. “On the front end typically shows a sizable future compounding deficit,” Hansen said, noting that the forecast provides a starting point for the more difficult work of identifying expenditure adjustments and savings opportunities.

Hansen added that the initial forecast assumes no near‑term structural changes (for example, building closures or new facilities) and that such changes would be modeled later. He told the board the administration will complete the construction of the forecast in December and provide an initial multiyear forecast summary in January, after which the board and administration will work through options to address any projected shortfalls. No formal budget decisions were made on Dec. 15.