Thinking ahead has saved Chippewa Falls schools money
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By ELIZABETH HOCHSTEDLER
elizabeth.hochstedler@lee.net
Sunday, January 4, 2009 7:06 AM CST
The Chippewa Falls School District is sitting in a comfortable position despite a tough economy and struggles in other area districts.
Superintendent Mike Schoch and Business Manager Chad Trowbridge say the district’s long-range strategic planning has put it in good standing financially.
“I think compared to a lot of our colleagues and a lot of the districts in the area and in the state of Wisconsin, we’re in decent shape,” Schoch said.
The district, which passed a $50 million budget in October, did not have to make any major cuts this year and does not expect any in the near future either.
“We’re not anticipating drastic changes,” Trowbridge said about the 2009-2010 budget.
Schoch, who is retiring at the end of this school year, and Trowbridge said the district is financially stable despite struggles seen by schools locally and statewide. Eau Claire School District, for example, is facing a reported $5.09 million budget deficit for the 2009-2010 school year.
Planning has been the key to keeping the district viable. Trowbridge looks at the budget each year and tries to consider any effects it will have on the future.
“Everything we do we look at the impact in five years,” he said.
And steps made years ago have in turn impacted today’s budgets positively. In 2000, the school board made $600,000 in staffing and service cuts from the budget, and in 2003, they shaved off $1.5 million.
“We kind of bit the bullet early on,” Schoch said.
“It’s really helped us be in the position we are today,” Trowbridge added.
Schoch said the districts that are being crunched for cash now likely did not make such big cuts in the past.
“Folks that have the problems right now right here on their doorstep have to work reactively,” he said, adding that the Chippewa Falls district looks ahead as often as possible.
“We try to prepare the best we can for any kind of changes,” Trowbridge said.
Those changes, however, can come quickly. Although preparations are already being made for 2009-2010 school year, districts will not know what their aid packages will look like until the state budget is passed and final enrollment numbers are determined.
The incoming federal administration could also make a large impact on schools across the country, and there are a number of other factors which affect a district budget.
“The reality of the unknown causes us some planning problems,” Schoch said.
Positive outlook
The biggest hurdles facing school districts are enrollment numbers, aid scenarios and local economic factors, Trowbridge said. However, all three of those factors work in the favor of the Chippewa Falls district.
He believes the district provides a quality education, which is sought after, and therefore more families have chosen to move into the district.
“All of our enrollment data shows we’re going to continue to grow,” Trowbridge said. “We believe people are coming here for a reason; it’s good schools.”
The buildings are currently running at capacity. The district purchased a 20 acre parcel of land at the intersection of County I and Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard in 2007, but has not yet considered a referendum for building a new school. The purchase was all part of being proactive, Trowbridge said.
Rising enrollment as the Chippewa Falls district has seen plays well for districts’ aid figures. As enrollment increases, the districts receive more aid with the current state aid formula.
“We have been fortunate enough to have a growing enrollment. Because of that, we have had some advantages with state funding,” Trowbridge said.
The state budget formula isn’t perfect, Trowbridge said. For districts with decreasing enrollments, aid also decreases, which can put those districts in bad shape. But it’s currently working in favor of Chippewa Falls schools.
“Essentially, we’re kind of in a perfect scenario with the state budget formula,” he said.
The school board’s careful spending and lower property values within the district also mean no aid is lost, which can be a hurdle to some districts.
“We have a pretty conservative way of spending and managing the district,” Schoch said.
That aid has also helped the taxpayers in that the school hasn’t needed a dramatic increase in the tax levy.
“Really we’re aided pretty heavily and that really lessens the tax levy blow,” Trowbridge said.
The future
Schoch and Trowbridge see the district’s future as bright, but they also acknowledge that there could be some changes that will have to be made.
Trowbridge anticipates the district may be looking at a deficit in about four years, but he has already begun preparing for it.
“It’s a time when everybody is stepping back and looking at their finances from businesses to individuals, and that’s what we’re doing,” he said.
But Schoch is hopeful that federal and state officials will begin investing more in schools.
“I believe the people in this state believe strongly enough in education for their kids that they’re not going to let us go without and have to make these cuts,” he said. “That might be wishful thinking.”
He admitted the district can’t always provide the newest programs for students as budgets limit spending.
“We need to provide programs for our kids for the world they’re going into,” he said.
Schoch would like to see the district implement new technology and different techniques into the classrooms.
“To change the way you do things requires some investment in that infrastructure,” he said. “It doesn’t come without a cost, and that’s really the dilemma we’re in right now.”
The district has to be careful when adding programs, Trowbridge said, because they don’t want to add a program and have to drop it within a few years because of budget cuts.
But Schoch is confident the district will continue to consider the students in every budget process.
“All of this stuff is empty talk when it’s not directed at kids,” he said.
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