The Numbers You Need to Know

Hopefully many of you can attend Monday's annual elector's meeting to cast your vote regarding the school district budget for 2009-10.

We all want to have the best education possible for our children. But we lso believe that we don't have to break the bank to do so. In tough economic times, we have to be particularly vigilant with regard to spending and impose some fiscal conservatism on our free-spending school board.

We're not anti-education. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. We believe in a strong quality eduication delivered with fiscal restraint and fidelity to funding.

Please keep these numbers in mind Monday:

$46,249,461 - That's the amount of tax the school board proposes to levy. YOURE VOTE decides how much of a levy they can actually set.

$8,000,000 - The amount in "fund balance", some of which COULD be used to offset the tax levy...but your school board voted not to do that.

$5,160,700 - The amount by which district spending exceeds revenues.

$1,454,892 - SPEA(teachers) contract increase

$640,000 - net deficit due to 4K program start-up

$183,060 - The cost of procuring the last installment of high school funds, which should have been taken out of the debt service or special project accounts, but your school board voted to add it to your tax levy.

$161,348 - Total compensation of Dr. Culver

$110,693 - Approximate cost of 3.8% raise for administrators

$110,000 approximate additional state aid from increased enrollment--which has yet to be discussed.

$83,685 - additional Microsoft technology money which COULD have been used to lower the mill rate, but wasn't.

$80,000 - Cost of Admin Support raises (ranged as high as 13%)

12.56% - the increase in tax levy over last year

7.6% - the increase in the Dane county property tax portion

$11.85 - the proposed mill rate for 2009-10 (if you vote to approve the proposed tax levy)

$1.32 the proposed mill rate increase over last year

$0.97 - The portion of the mill rate increase resulting from increases in spending.

$0.36 - The portion of the mill rate increase resulting from high school construction project.