Final figures for school budget tied up in state politics

State budget process leaves BASD, other districts hanging

By Jennifer Eisenbart

Staff Writer

There’s nothing like a state biennial budget process to throw a school district for a loop.

That is where Burlington Area School District is sitting right now. While most budget issues seem to be falling neatly into place on BASD’s end, the final numbers – or at least guestimates – from the state of Wisconsin have yet to be approved.

Because of that, the district will still be leaving things open ended, even as it addresses the budget again Monday night. Following a pair of other committee meetings, the Finance Committee will meet to discuss budget adjustments and not only this year’s budget, but the 2012-13 budget as well.

However, there is a distinct possibility it’ll be past the end of the school year (June 30) before a final budget is approved.

“The problem right now is we’re waiting to see where the state’s at,” BASD Superintendent Peter Smet said on Tuesday.

The issue is that budget deliberations are still ongoing in the capitol, and those talks include the possibility of increasing state aid or the revenue limits.

“We’re waiting to see what comes out of the budget deliberations in Madison,” Smet said.

The school district’s 2013-14 budget has been built around the idea of an approximate 1 percent tax levy increase and utilizing some portion of the district’s fund balance.

“We would be discussing that,” Smet said, if state aid increases. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

Smet said the budget process for the district seems to have gone smoothly this year, but like every other district in the state, the biennial budget is holding up the process.

“I think the process has gone smoothly,” Smet said. “We’re working our way through the process.

“I wish we had more information on state aid … but this is the way it is set up,” he added.