Board approves 2025-26 school budget

NEW LONDON – The New London Board of Education has approved the district’s 2025-26 budget, which increases the mill rate from $5.33 to $5.57.
At its Oct. 22 meeting, the board approved a 2025-26 budget for all funds in the amount of $38,363,927. It also approved a general operations levy in the amount of $10,444,582. Board Vice President Katie Batten and Board Treasurer Mark Grossman were absent from the meeting.
During the discussion, Joe Marquardt, SDNL business services director, reminded the board that the district held a budget hearing at the board’s Sept. 10 meeting.
“It was really our point of initial discussion for the 2025-26 budget that you’ll have for potential approval tonight,” Marquardt said. “But really, the budget’s an ongoing process. There are a lot of things that happen throughout our meetings that get the budget to that point.”
Marquardt pointed out several items about the 2025-26 budget. He said the equalization aid certification is $773,722 less than last year.

“This does not give the district less money to spend but increases the property tax levy,” it was stated in the Topic Summary Sheet (TSS) in the board packet. “The amount is less than the July 1 aid estimate so that impacts the levy and final mill rate. The biennium (state budget) included no increase to state equalization aid and has a significant impact on levies across the state.”
“That $773,000 less in equalization aid has been picked up by the local taxpayers,” Marquardt said.
Marquardt added that 71% of the school districts in Wisconsin will have less equalization aid for their 2025-26 budgets.
The district did receive an increase in the revenue limit authority of $325 per student.
“That allowed the revenue limit to be increased by $375,000,” Marquardt said. “So that is helpful to your budget.”
The categorical aid for aidable special education expenditures will increase to approximately 40% of eligible expenditures, it was stated in the TSS.
“This increase results in approximately $675,000 of revenue which offsets this transfer from Fund 10 to 27,” it was stated in the TSS.
Marquardt said property values in the district increased by 7.7%, which was more than the state average.
It was stated in the TSS, “The property value changes were very different between some of the municipalities. This sometimes creates differences between how tax bills look, however the mill rate is 5.57 per $1,000 of property for all taxpayers. The levy is divided between all municipalities and sometimes someone’s total property value change is different from their neighbors or different parts of the district which impacts actually property taxes paid.”
The private school voucher program included a $1,378,527 aid deduction for students enrolling in private schools under a voucher, Marquardt said.
“The reason why that’s important for us to know is because we are the taxing entity for the voucher school program, and that is added to the levy and it is a component of the levy,” Marquardt said.
He added that the district is not reimbursed 100% for the state’s voucher program.
The mill rate is $5.57, which is slightly higher than the $5.55 mill rate presented at the Sept. 10 budget hearing, Marquardt said. It was $5.33 in the last year’s district budget.
“For the most part, every taxpayer is going to see an increase on their taxes this year because of the mill rate going up and the levy, and that’s related to equalization aid reductions,” Marquardt said.
Board member Chris Martinson said even though the district’s mill rate has increased, he said there are school districts around the state that have a mill rate double New London’s mill rate. He added that when he joined the board in 2016, the district’s mill rate was almost $10.
“I don’t have a dim view by the fact that it’s inched up this year or it’s looking bleak for us because I know our taxpayers, they don’t want us wasting money, but they do want good education,” Martinson said. “… The board and the administration have been very frugal and that puts us in a good position if we need to do something.”
Marquardt said the average mill rate for school districts in the state of Wisconsin was $7.09 last year.