Whitefish Bay's Final State Aid Numbers Show 10% Cut

The will see a 10 percent cut in state aid under this year's budget, but the final numbers released today show the district will receive $16,000 more than initially estimated.

In July, the state Department of Public Instruction released , and at that time, Whitefish Bay's state aid amounts were expected to drop $1,082,928, or 10.1 percent, from the previous year. 

Under the DPI's certified state aid numbers released Friday, the district would receive $9,618,635, a reduction in $1,066,833, or 10 percent, from 2010-11. The general aid districts receive is based on data submitted from the 2010-2011 school year. It includes membership, shared costs and property value. Final data is verified based on 2011-12 enrollment, set on the third Friday in September.

Whitefish Bay's 10 percent state aid cut is comparable to some other North Shore communities. Shorewood and Nicolet United school districts saw similar 10 percent aid reductions, while Fox Point-Bayside School District received an additional $113,206, a 7.7 percent increase, and the Mequon-Thiensville School District received an additional $106,567, a 4.9 percent increase.

Under the , taxes would drop $61 for an owner of a $400,000 house. Last month, residents at $21,267,910, a $273,000 decrease from last year's levy. At the same time, the district would only see a net decrease of 0.6 full time employment positions.

The loss in state aid was offset, in large part, by salary freezes, increased employee contributions to pension costs and health insurance plan changes allowed under the budget repair bill.