Wausa Schools passes ‘conscientious’ budget

Trisha Benton

Wausa Gazette

WAUSA — Making every dollar count.

That’s what the Wausa Public Schools Board strives for every year when it sets a budget.

The board is very aware that it doesn’t have the same property valuations compared to its neighbors in Cedar County, said Superintendent Brad Hoesing.

In fact, valuations decreased slightly for this budget year.

“We have to be conscientious on what we spend,” he said. “Conscientious that every dollar we spend is going to impact our district and making sure funding goes to what it needs to.”

The board set and passed its annual budget and tax levy at its meeting Monday night.

The tax rate increased 5 percent to a total of 95 cents per $100 valuation.

A $240,000 increase in the budget over last year accounts for staff wage increases and a new school bus but also makes room for COVID federal stimulus dollars, Hoesing said.

He has already sent in the application for the third wave of pandemic stimulus dollars available for schools with Wausa’s cut estimated at about $175,000.

“It doesn’t go as far as you’d think,” Hoesing said.

The federal monies have been earmarked to update curriculum and also update the gym’s original HVAC system circa 1974.

“Rather than use tax dollars, we thought that’d be a good area to use the funds,” Hoesing said.

No one from the public spoke at the public budget hearing.