Colfax school district expecting to lose nearly $300,000 in state aid for 2023-2024
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — According to estimates released by the state Department of Public Instruction for general aid for the 2023-2024 school year, Colfax will lose $293,326 in state aid.
Colfax received $6,036,193 in state aid for the 2022-2023 school year, and the estimate for 2023-2024 is $5,742,867, according to information provided to the Colfax Board of Education at the July 10 meeting by William C. Yingst Jr., district administrator.
The Elk Mound school district also will be losing some state aid but not as much. What is the difference? asked Jacklyn Ackerlund, school board member.
State aid is related to student enrollment, Yingst said.
Elk Mound received $9.06 million for 2022-2023, and the estimate for 2023-2024 is $9.05 million, representing a loss of $14,479.
Ackerlund noted that the Elmbrook school district is estimated to received a $7.3 million increase in state aid.
Elmbrook received $18.6 million last year and is estimated to receive $26 million this year.
The Elmbrook school district has likely had a large increase in student enrollment, Yingst said.
Elmbrook is located in the southern part of the state just west of Wauwatosa and is in Waukesha County.
The district includes Brookfield, which is a city that had a population of nearly 42,000 in the 2020 census.
The Boyceville school district is expecting an increase in state aid of $392,673 for the 2023-2024 school year, from $5.76 million to $6.15 million this year, according to the DPI estimate.
The Glenwood City school district will be losing $180,343 in state aid, going from $5.66 million last year to $5.48 million this year.
The Menomonie school district is expecting an increase of $920,528, going from $24.23 million last year to $25.15 million this year.
The Bloomer school district is expecting an increase of $380,168, going from $9.4 million to $9.8 million.
Even if a school district has fewer students, that does not mean the district’s expenses will be less because the school district will still have the same number of buildings to heat and maintain, will most likely have to employ the same number of teachers and most likely will still have to run the same number of bus routes.
Colfax’s loss in state aid will be offset by the $1,000 per student increase in the revenue limit allowed by the state’s 2023-2025 budget.
The first year, the $1,000 per student will go on the property tax levy, but in subsequent years, the school district will receive some state aid for the increase.