Presenter says Wauwatosa School District likely to finish fiscal year better than budget

The Presenter reviewed March 2026 financials at a meeting of the Wauwatosa School District Board and said the district is likely to finish the fiscal year with a larger surplus than budgeted. "The headline is that we continue to trend better than budget," the Presenter said.

The Presenter told the board that salaries and benefits are about 1% favorable to projection, a benchmark the Presenter described as ‘‘a good target for most school districts’’ that provides flexibility through the rest of the year. "Our salaries and benefits are about 1% favorable," the Presenter said.

Much of the reported overage in purchased services, the Presenter said, is tied to flooding and has been offset by property-insurance recoveries. "Much of our overages in purchased services is due to the flooding, and we've been able to recoup much of that expenditure with insurance," the Presenter said. The transcript did not specify the dollar amount of insurance reimbursements.

On revenues, the Presenter said the district remains on target relative to projections. The Presenter reminded the board that the February budget did not include a one-time property tax chargeback; that chargeback will be returned in the following year and affects year-to-year comparisons.

The board had budgeted an operating surplus of $319,000. "I'm projecting right now that we're going to finish maybe as much as a million dollars better than that," the Presenter said. That $1 million figure was presented as a projection, not a finalized amount.

The Presenter presented several options for allocating any surplus: place it in general fund balance; deposit some into Fund 41 (a fund designated for property services) to allow targeted work such as flood mitigation at the Whitman site; or invest in technology infrastructure, including replacing wireless equipment that the Presenter said is approaching end of life. The transcript refers to "Whitman" without specifying whether that name denotes a school building, campus, or other facility.

No formal motions or votes on allocation were recorded in the transcript; the Presenter said the board would continue discussion in future meetings and the finance committee will follow up on considerations.

Details not specified in the transcript include the exact meeting date and the dollar amount of insurance recoveries; the Presenter described the $1 million as an approximate projection rather than a confirmed figure.