Resolutions approved at annual meeting

The Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District Board of Education unanimously approved all four resolutions related to the 2012-13 district budget on Monday, Sept. 17.

Board of Education treasurer Bob Green provided a 15-minute overview of the budget. Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Tom Wohlleber later talked about some of the cost-saving measures and revenue-producing programs the district has implemented.

Superintendent Don Johnson and Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services George Mavroulis later shared some of the innovations and accomplishments in our schools this past year.

"We still have a lot to do, but it's great to be able to celebrate everything we've accomplished,'' Johnson said.

The four resolutions that were voted upon were:

* Resolution A: Resolution to Levy a Tax for Adding to Capital Fund. The fund, which is used for maintenance, is for $850,000 this fiscal year.
* Resolution B: Adoption of Tax Levy of $59,864,137 for the 2012-13 fiscal year.
* Resolution C: Adoption of School Board Salaries for 2012-13. President Ellen Lindgren will receive $3,000 and the other eight Board members will receive $2,400. The salaries are the same as 2011-12.
* Resolution D: Authorization for Sale of Surplus Property/Equipment.

The tax levy will increase by 5.3 percent and the mill rate will increase by 6.4 percent, Green said. That assumes a 1 percent decrease in property value in 2012. That means a homeowner with property assessed at $300,000 in 2011 will see an increase of $136 in their tax bill in 2012.

Since 2004-05, the tax rate for the school district has decreased four times in eight years.

A big reason for the increase in the tax levy is the decrease in state aid the district receives. Green said MCPASD receives less state aid than any school district in Dane County. The district had a 15 percent drop in state aid this year. It was 10 percent the year before and we had the maximum decrease the two years before that.

"We need to have a balanced approach between providing a quality education and keeping property taxes under control,'' he said.

Wohlleber pointed out the district has the lowest health insurance costs of any school district in the state.

"We want to keep health care affordable for our employees but also one that doesn't burden us from a financial standpoint,'' he said.

He also pointed out energy conservation has save the district more than $2 million over the past eight years. The district has also saved money by investing in cost-saving technology and gets much better loan rates due to its Moody's Triple Aaa bond rating.

Approximately 10 citizens attended Monday's meeting.

The agenda for Monday's meeting is available on the district website. A draft of the preliminary budget was reviewed with the Finance Committee and Board on June 25. The budget that went before the Board on Monday night was almost identical to the preliminary budget approved on July 23.

The only significant changes that were incorporated included an increase in the employer share for retirement to account for a larger than originally estimated rate increase in Wisconsin Retirement System contributions and an adjustment that resulted from a budget entry system error. The budget contingency account was reduced by $230,000 amount to account for those changes.

The 2012 Annual Report and the 2012-13 Annual Meeting Presentation can be found on the budget downloads page.