For the 5th time in the last 6 years, the Swallow School District expects to lower its overall tax rate. The school tax levy consists of property taxes a school district collects to support its budget based on the state school funding formula, after accounting for all other revenue sources including state aid. The tax levy is the basis for determining Swallow’s portion of the tax rate for the four municipalities that make up the District.
At the Annual Meeting held on Wednesday, August 22 residents in attendance and the Board of Education unanimously approved a tax levy for the upcoming fiscal year of $139,116 less than last year which represents a decrease of 2.5%. The tax rate is projected to drop from $6.71 per $1,000 of property value to about $6.38, a decrease of 4.9%.
School Board President John Stahl explained, “By always keeping students first in all budgetary conversations and focusing on continuous improvement we are able to again deliver a budget to the taxpayers for their approval at the Annual Meeting which not only funds our priorities but is also fiscally responsible. While the district has major facilities needs which have resulted in the School Board placing a referendum on the November 6 ballot, even that debt question does not raise the tax rate due to the early retirement of existing debt. This is good news for district residents.” The 2018-19 approved budget and the lower calculated school tax levy is based on anticipated enrollment, state aid, property tax values and district expenses outlined in the budget document available on the
district’s website.
The preparation and discussion leading to the development of the 2018-19 Annual Budget included a review of the costs for the curriculum, programs and services offered based on known student needs.
“We are pleased to say that we were able to lower the local tax levy without eliminating any programs or services. Our focus on growing our students, supporting our staff to meet these needs, and overall continuous improvement will allow us to stay a top performing school while offering a significant value for programming and services for district taxpayers,” said Melissa Thompson, Superintendent.
The Swallow School District received some of the highest ratings in the state for common performance measures used by the Department of Public Instruction for schools throughout Wisconsin. A continued focus on personalized learning experiences, Spanish, art, music, and Physical Education in all grades, and an emphasis on increased science and engineering programming have been prioritized with this budget.
The final tax levy will be adopted by the School Board in late October once final enrollment numbers, property valuation, and state aid are certified by the state. More information is available on the District website at
www.swallowschool.org.