Brown Deer business office reviews membership audit, food-service RFPs, retention work and budget outlook

Kevin Clement, speaking as the district’s business office representative, told the Brown Deer School Board on April 9 that the district is finishing a routine four‑year membership audit and has corrected a few student‑enrollment records the auditors flagged. “They did say that it’s gone very well,” Clement said, adding the auditors will file their report with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI).

Clement said the district received five proposals in response to its food‑service request for proposals (RFP): incumbent Aramark plus Chartwells, Quest, SFB and TAVR. Short presentations from those vendors will be given to the review committee next week; Clement said the committee uses a scoring matrix and expects to forward a recommended vendor to DPI before bringing a contract to the board for final approval, with a targeted start date of July 1 if approved.

On staffing, Clement said the district convened a teacher compensation and retention committee of 12 staff members representing multiple buildings and experience levels. The committee will meet again in May and will gather ideas from other districts; Clement said the work will likely require additional funding and that the board and community will be invited into longer‑range conversations about compensation and retention. “It’s not just the compensation piece, it is retention,” Clement said, noting nonpay factors such as scheduling and building access are part of the review.

Clement also announced staff open enrollment will run for two weeks beginning May 6 using an online platform with live agents; he noted the board previously approved a 4% health‑insurance increase and that this year’s enrollment changes are minimal. On community events, Clement said the district will proceed with the fun fair at the middle‑high school but liability coverage prevents commercial inflatables and use of the rock wall by untrained public users. Food and concessions will be served from the North Commons.

Turning to finance, Clement said the district expects to run a short‑term deficit despite a healthy fund balance and will work with financial adviser Robert W. Baird to plan future years. He referenced a facility study that identified roughly $25 million to $30 million of potential needs over the next decade and cautioned that the loss of ESSER funds will present longer‑term budgeting challenges.

The report included both operational items (RFPs, benefits, events) and planning items (compensation work and capital needs) that the board said would return for future discussion and formal action.