GB School District proposes 2.49% tax levy increase Green Bay Area School District Superintendent Dan Nerad discusses the proposed school budget during a news conference Wednesday (photo by H. Marc Larson). Tax levy would increase by a proposed 2.49 percent By Monique Balas News-Chronicle A preliminary budget for the Green Bay Area Public School District won't cut staff or hit the district too hard, but it also won't allow the district to grow the way it wants to, said Superintendent Dan Nerad at a news conference Wednesday. The proposed budget presents an expenditure of $191 million, an $11.8 million increase (3.5 percent) over 2002-03 budgeted expenditures and an increase of 6.6 percent in actual expenditures. "We feel this budget was proposed in a fiscally responsible manner," said Nerad. An $8 million reserve fund from last year's budget and a reduction in equipment and supplies allowed the school district to continue functioning without any major changes. More money will be put aside this year in anticipation of receiving even less state aid next year, Nerad said. "The budget was constructed to continue existing programs," Nerad said. The budget won't create any layoffs or get rid of any existing school programs, but it won't allow the district to do as much as it would like, Nerad said, especially as the district becomes increasingly urbanized. "Our needs are much greater than what this budget allows for," he said. "We made a conscious decision not to purchase things." The district won't be able to expand its second language program this year, for example. It also won't be able to meet an increasing request for more student support services such as counselors and social workers, Nerad said. "We are making very small steps in terms of additional resources," he said. A major concern is the continuing state budget crisis. With 60 percent of funds coming from the state, the district wanted to wait until the state's budget was finalized before it made any decisions. The base equalized tax rate is about $33 lower than last year's, which means a person with a house valued at $100,000 will pay $33 less in property taxes that go toward the schools. But this rate could vary among the school district's eight municipalities, since property tax values are based on assessed value. The equalized tax rate is lower than it has been in the last 25 years, at $9.52 per $1,000 of property value. That figure is based on an estimated property tax value increase of 6.6 percent. The tax levy increase is $1.6 million, or 2.49 percent. The levy increase over the past five years averages 1.56 percent. The budget won't be finalized until the district gets the results of the finalized student count, the final equalized aid is calculated and the property tax value is equalized, but it's unlikely there will be any discrepancy, said Alan Wagner, assistant superintendent-business and finance. Budget breakdown Total expenditures $191,335,034 Salaries: 58.7% Benefits: 27.2% Contracted services: 8.7% Supplies: 3.4% Capital: 1.1% Other: .9% Proposed funding sources: Local: 27.4% State: 62.5% Federal: 7.4%