LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN (WXOW)-- Monday, the Department of Public Instruction in Madison released the General Aid Certification.
What that means to those who live in the School District of La Crosse is that the district will receive about $1 million less in state aid for the 2012-2013 year than the previous year.
The reduced funding is actually better news than the district expected. The School District of La Crosse planned for cuts in their 2012-2013 budget back in July, and actually expected to lose about $139,000 more than they did.
The district will receive about $31.2 million in state aid, about $1 million less than last year. However the district anticipated losing about $1.1. million.
What that means is tax rate will be slightly lower than anticipated. The projected rate was $12.28 when the district planned the budget in July. Now it will be close to $12.13 per $100,000 home.
"We are out ahead of where we thought we would be and it is the result of good planning," said Superintendent Randy Nelson. "So yes, we got out in front of it, but just because you're in front of it doesn't mean you aren't making reductions."
The superintendent says being in the second year of a state budget makes those projections a little easier.
"It's every other year that we have a good picture of this. With this coming year will be a funding year, where they will set a two-year budget and K-12 education will be inside of that."
Nelson says the most recent cuts make three consecutive years of budget cuts. Over that time period, the district has reduced operating costs by about $7 million.
