School districts' higher tax levies reflect lost nonlocal revenues

By MARK SCHAAF

Posted: Nov. 3, 2009

As school districts face state aid shortages and other revenue losses, school property tax levies will rise by varying degrees for area property owners next year.

The increases range from 3.9 percent to 5.5 percent. The four school boards whose jurisdictions include Franklin, Oak Creek, Greendale and Hales Corners certified their levies last week.

Franklin

Franklin School Board members voted 4-1 to raise the property tax levy by 3.9 percent compared to last year.

Board member Janet Evans cast the lone dissenting vote. She pointed to the city's unemployment rate and said the district needs to do a better job at keeping the levy down in light of the financial struggles many residents face.

School Board President Dave Szychlinski said Evans is not alone on the board in preferring a smaller tax hike.

"Of course I wish it was less," Szychlinski said. "I think we all wish it was less."

He added that the board's decisions will likely be even tougher next year.

The district needs to engage the community next spring so that decisions can be made earlier, he said, because by the time June and July rolls around, it's almost too late for cuts.

Oak Creek-Franklin

The Oak Creek-Franklin School District's property tax levy will rise 4.6 percent over last year.

Officials said the increase could have been as much as 12.6 percent, but they made several adjustments, including reducing referendum debt by almost $2 million.

The district will use interest earned on the East Middle School project to pay down debt and refinance some debt issues, according to the district's Web site.

"We did everything we could" to keep the levy increase down, Business Director Cathy Cramer said.

The School Board certified the levy in a special meeting Oct. 26, with board member Paul Mason voting in opposition.

Greendale

In Greendale, the school property tax levy will rise 4.2 percent.

Officials were able to bring the levy down from a 6 percent increase by using federal stimulus dollars and other district funds.

Greendale's "citizens' budget team" is already at work on the 2010-11 budget. A meeting has been set for Nov. 19 to discuss long-range fiscal projections and budget reductions, according to an agenda posting.

Whitnall

The school district levy in Whitnall, which encompasses Hales Corners and parts of Franklin and Greenfield, will rise 5.5 percent compared to 2008-09.

The percentage was set based on a 1 percent increase in teacher salaries, though the contract is still under negotiation.

Officials originally proposed an increase of more than 11 percent but residents during the annual meeting approved a hike of just 5.5 percent.