Board directs administrators to prepare fact‑based letter on state surplus and school aid impacts

The Waunakee Community School District board asked district administrators to prepare a fact‑based position paper and a district letter describing the local financial impact of state budget deliberations, after committee members raised the prospect the legislature may revisit a surplus dispersal proposal.

Board members referenced recent data from the Department of Public Instruction indicating that special‑education categorical aid and high‑cost special‑education aid were lower than what the state budget originally projected. Dr. Monica Kelsey Brown and district staff said they could quantify the difference between the budgeted and actual aid amounts and what the district would have received under the original budget assumptions.

"We could very clearly articulate what we're going to receive for special ed aid and what the budget identified that we were going to receive," Dr. Brown said, describing numbers the administration could assemble. Board members asked that the letter be factual and distributed to the district’s representatives, the majority and minority leaders, the Joint Finance Committee and the education committee.

The board approved directing Steve and Ally to prepare the materials and indicated the district administrator and board president would sign and send the letter on behalf of the board.