Referendum Communication Follow-Up

Dear Brighton Families,

Thank you for your questions on the referendum communication that was sent out on Friday. Below are a few sets of questions and answers that you may find helpful:

What is the Wisconsin Revenue Limit?

Revenue Limit is the maximum amount of revenue that may be raised through state general aid and property tax for a school district. Wisconsin state Revenue Limit is $11,000 per member (per student).

To figure out how this calculation breaks down between state aid and property taxes the district collects, the district uses a Revenue Limit Worksheet provided by the Department of Public Instruction. This worksheet calculates each district's unique Revenue Limit using a variety of data sources (student membership, property value, state aid estimates, etc). The portion of the Revenue Limit that converts to what you see on your property taxes is called the Mill Rate. This number comes from the tax levy amount (the total property taxes collected by the school district), which is then broken down to the assessed value of each specific property in the district.

The current Mill Rate for Brighton School District taxpayers is $3.48; which converts to a taxation rate of $3.48 per $1000 of property value. If the referendum passes, that Mill Rate will increase to the amounts below for the respective years:

23/24- $3.48

24/25- $4.11

25/26- $4.19

26/27- $4.12

27/28- $4.16

28/29- $3.27 (return to regular Mill Rate without referendum)

Why does the district need more than what the current Revenue Limit allows?

Unfortunately, state revenue limits over the last 15 years have not kept up with the pace of inflation. For example, Brighton School spends approximately $11,800 per student annually; and can collect revenue for $11,000 per student. As a comparison, in 2020 the state average cost of educating students for Wisconsin public schools was $12,740 per student.

Brighton is currently debt free. In the last 20 years, there have been years where the district was able to save money that could be used instead of short-term borrowing for high cost maintenance needs or during years where expenditures exceeded revenue; this "savings account " is called a Fund Balance. With recent years of high inflation and stagnant revenue limits over the past 15 years, our budget trajectory has us utilizing our fund balance beyond its capacity in the coming years for general operating expenses.

What will the increased funds be used for?

The increased funds will be used to maintain operations and staffing at the current levels while enabling the district to complete regular building maintenance and updates; i.e. HVAC repairs, roof repairs and updates, resealing blacktop, etc.

If the referendum is not passed the district will need to reduce staff (as that is our largest expense), and complete building and ground maintenance on a necessary basis as funding allows. Brighton is a lean-run district as far as educational costs rank. In short, there isn't a lot of room to cut costs that won't impact actual teachers in front of students. If a referendum is not passed the district will need to look at cutting costs and the results will be larger class sizes, possible combined classes and fewer services for students.

Future Communication Opportunities:

There will be several opportunities for communication on this topic listed below. These opportunities will also be listed on our website in the scrolling ticker on the homepage (www.brightonschool.net).

February 8th @ 6:30 pm- Referendum presentation in the school cafeteria

February 12th @ 6:00 pm- Referendum update at the Town of Brighton Board Meeting

February 16th @ 8:30 am- Referendum presentation in the school cafeteria

Please do not hesitate to reach out with additional questions. I welcome your feedback directly through phone call or email (creid@brightonschool.net) 262.878.2191.

Respectfully,

Carrie Reid

District Administrator

Brighton School District #1

1200 248th Ave

Kansasville, WI 53139

262.878.2191

creid@brightonschool.net