N-O-W sets levy, mill rate

By SARAH PARKER | County Line Editor

The Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton School District set its local tax levy at $2,148,771 for 2022–23, an increase of $264,439 over last year’s figure, at its annual meeting and budget hearing Monday. 

But the mill rate will drop from $8.09 to $8.01. A mill rate reflects the amount of taxes a property owner pays per $1,000 of valuation. In other words, the owner of a $200,000 property would pay $1,602 in school taxes.

In recent years, the mill rate has been in a downward trend: in 2017–18, it was $10.37; 2018–19, $10.54; 2019–20, $8.66; 2020–21, $8.15; and 2021–22, $8.09.  

Of this year’s levy, $1,008,771 will go toward the general fund and $1,140,000 toward debt. 

N-O-W receives the highest percentage of state aid in the Scenic Bluffs Conference; those funds make up 84.5 percent. Cashton gets 81.6 percent; Bangor, 71.7 percent; Royall, 71.7 percent; La Farge, 69.8 percent; Hillsboro, 66.3 percent; New Lisbon, 50.2 percent; Wonewoc-Union Center, 50.5 percent; and Necedah, 41 percent. 

Also, wages went up for N-O-W employees this year by $267,816, and, correspondingly, FICA and retirement costs increased by $47,580. Salaries and benefits make up 54 percent of N-O-W’s entire budget. 

Of the total $14,772,242 expenditures to run the school district, $12,745,585 is slated to go toward the general fund; $1,422,405, to the special-education fund; and $605,252, to the food-service fund. 

Like at many local rural schools, N-O-W has experienced declining enrollment, seeing a 48-student drop over the past four years. 

Among local schools, N-O-W has the second-lowest local general-fund levy at $1,008,771, with La Farge’s at $927,802; Cashton’s, $1,052,017; Royall’s, $1,820,635; Hillsboro’s, $2,093,244; Wonewoc-Union Center’s, $2,227,532; New Lisbon’s, $3,592,284; and Necedah’s, $5,116,341.  

District sets annual goals

The following are the district’s goals for 2022–23:

1) Collaborate with Monroe County to conduct a school safety assessment and continue to implement the School Safety Intervention Team.

2) Provide staff with training on mental health first aid.

3) Transition the N-O-W School District from a one-year teacher mentorship program to a two-year teacher mentorship program (year two of two).

4) Implement the Wisconsin DPI Model for Educator Effectiveness to meet the required six components of Educator Effectiveness following a three-year process (beginning, intermediate, and advanced practices).

5) Increase efforts to communicate with families the importance of student attendance with brochures; 5-, 10- and 15-day absence letters; referrals to Monroe County Corporation Counsel; and research options for incentives for positive attendance.

6) N-O-W Elementary and Brookwood Junior/Senior High School will continue with year three of the three-year, DPI-recommended process of implementing the 2020 English Language Arts (ELA) Standards.

7) The director of special education and the elementary building principal will collaborate to define and refine N-O-W’s response to intervention process.

8) N-O-W Elementary and Brookwood Junior/Senior High School will continue with year three of the three-year, DPI-recommended process of implementing the 2020 Physical Education (PE) Standards.

9) Work with PLCs (department teams), the instructional coach, and administration to select essential content-area standards for grades 7-12 (year one of two).

Referendum

N-O-W will continue to devise plans for an April 2023 building referendum calling for a new gymnasium, auditorium, industrial technology education additions, and other facility upgrades. An article in last week’s County Line cited $24.9 million as the amount the district could ask for via referendum without raising the mill rate. That figure has been revised to $23 million. 

Comments are closed.

  • Strains of spring 

    March 22nd, 2024
    by

    Brookwood Junior/Senior High School hosted its spring concert Thursday.  Esther Wooten and Drew Powell provide percussion for the senior high […]


    Pretrial conference for Barton yields no updates, more charges possible

    March 22nd, 2024
    by

    Monday’s pretrial conference for former Wilton clerk/treasurer Leigha Barton, who was charged in January with counts related to embezzlement from the village, resulted in no new developments, according to Monroe County District Attorney Kevin Croninger. 


    Royall hires new principal

    March 13th, 2024
    by

    Kole Huth will serve as the new Royall Middle School/High School Principal, the board of education decided at its meeting Monday. 


    Crowd attends meeting on Ontario development projects

    March 13th, 2024
    by

    No one quite expected the crowd of about 25 people to show up at Monday evening’s Ontario’s regular monthly board meeting. What drew so much interest was a hearing held about the new 12-unit apartment building under construction on Church Street.


    Kendall OK’s $2.1 million downtown project

    March 13th, 2024
    by

    Kendall approved a $2.1 million downtown (South Railroad Street) infrastructure project, which will occur in conjunction with the state’s reconstruction of Highway 71, at its regular meeting Monday. 


  • Norwalk police chief resigns

    March 13th, 2024
    by

    After nine years with the village, Police Chief David Jones submitted his resignation to the Norwalk Village Board, which it accepted at its Tuesday meeting. 


    N-O-W School Board approves expenditures, applications for college-credit program

    March 13th, 2024
    by

    The N-O-W School Board approved student applications to Brookwood’s fall college credit program totaling a little over $27,000 in tuition and materials.


    Wilton board candidates take part in reception

    March 8th, 2024
    by

    On Saturday, the Wilton Public Library hosted an open reception with the candidates for the Wilton Village Board.


    Royall boys earn first conference title in 11 years

    February 29th, 2024
    by

    The Royall boys basketball team clinched the Scenic Bluffs Conference title outright with a win over Bangor 53–37 on Feb. 22.


    Royall girls gain first regional title in 47 years

    February 29th, 2024
    by

    The Royall girls basketball team marked history in its program, as the team earned its first regional title since 1977.


    Wilton, N-O-W work out details of softball-field project

    February 29th, 2024
    by

    To refine an agreement allowing the Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton School District to use Wilton’s new softball field, school representatives met with the Wilton Village Board on Tuesday. 


  • Archives