Gilman School district braces for a significant drop in state aid

Due to declining enrollment and property value increases, Gilman will see a reduction in state aid even though revenue limits may increase.

“Basically, in the eyes of the funding formula, Gilman is property rich, and they’re property rich based on the number of students who live within the district,” said district administrator Walter Leipart.

Leipart reports that the district may lose $400,000 to $500,000 in state aid in year five of the current referendum, which was voted into place in 2022. He states that this is cumulative, meaning that each year the district could lose a little bit more than the previous year.

“We really need to dig deep into that,” said Leipart. Leipart suggested that people start talking to state legislators about adequate funding regardless of property value per student, as well as advocating for funding initiatives in the budget, such as a fully funded school lunch program which could save $50,000. He also reported that receiving 2/3 funding for special education would be a significant benefit for the district. Legislators for the Gilman School District are Senator Jesse L. James and Representative Karen R. Hurd.

“It doesn’t matter if we have 280 kids or if we have 240 kids, we’re going to have the same operational expenses, there’s no way that we can reduce positions without eliminating programs,” said Leipart.

Clerk Lauren Zach said, “I’ve heard rumors, I don’t want to talk about politics at all, but I heard that more money might be going to the states for the school, to get rid of the Department of Education.”

“It’s like a clearing house,” Leipart replied. “All regulations, programming and funds that go along with that are housed at the Department of Education to streamline it directly to either the state, like DPI, or directly to the school district.

“When they say that they’re going to dismantle the Department of Education, we still have state and federal laws that require us to do things, that’s not going to change if we get rid of the Department of Education,” Leipart continued.

He said that there could be more inefficiencies if a school representative is required to seek out each individual department rather than one source, and each department might then have a different way of disseminating that money.

“There are frustrations,” said Leipart. “Anytime we get money there’s always a new regulation that goes along with it.”

Leipart stated that there might be a little bit of wiggle room in the budget, but there will not be enough available to significantly balance the budget when accounting for the $400,000 to $500,000 loss.

“We’ve been able to pass referendums and keep taxes relatively flat, this one will not, we will raise taxes with this one,” said Leipart.

In other action, the board also: -Heard report from Principal Phil Tallman who stated that elementary and middle school teachers are preparing for AIMSweb testing to take place on Jan. 13. AIMSweb is a data-driven assessment tool used by schools to evaluate students’ progress. Teachers will use this information to track students’ performance over time and make more informed decisions about instruction. Students that fall below the 25th percentile will receive an individual reading plan. Information was sent home for parents and the school will be reaching out as needed after AIMSweb takes place.

Tallman also reported that the elementary concert was last week and the updated speaker system worked as desired.

Tallman stated that an Initial Curriculum Review Committee Meeting met on Dec. 11 to address challenges to CKLA curriculum. “It was a spirited meeting with passion on both sides,” said Tallman. There will be another meeting on Dec. 19 and the committee will vote on any changes to curriculum as requested by the petitioner.

Tallman stated that the school received a toy donation from Dollar General which was delivered by Gilman police chief Tom Tallier. Tallman plans to hold an elementary bingo on Thursday to give away the toys. The school is prepared with additional toys to be sure each elementary student gets something.

“Nobody goes home empty-handed,” said Tallman.

-Approved the financial report.

-Approved hiring Hope Nye as special education teacher to fill a vacancy left by a previous special education teacher who rescinded their acceptance of an offer by the school. A substitute has been holding that position temporarily but will be now utilized as a substitute in other areas. Nye will start Jan. 2 as she finishes student teaching in Cornell. Nye resides in Jump River.

-Approved the resignation of Jeff Thiel as the parttime English teacher at ESucceed. Reportedly, Thiel enjoys eSucceed but his current school district does not believe he can work in two districts at once.

-Discussed district and school report cards. Per Leipart, even if a district does not have high achievement but still has high growth, the result is positive. The district meets expectations with a score of 66, elementary meets expectations at 66.2 and high school meets expectations with a score of 66.2. ESucceed missed meeting expectations by less than one point.

-Approved the Annual Charter School Authorizer Report for eSucceed Virtual School.

-Reviewed the audit report. The energy exemption payoff will be complete in 2027, which will help with the budget.

-Discussed creating a space for a daycare owner to come in and run a daycare in the school. Clerk Zach reported knowledge of a grant that could make a significant difference for a daycare provider.

-Discussed a donation of about $1,300 from Milwaukee Burger Company who hosted a day of giving in support of the Gilman School District. Milwaukee Burger Company was made aware of the district by Gilman library director Rita Ludvigsen and her son Derek who works at the Milwaukee Burger Company.

-Reported that the National Weather Service has changed its wording from wind chill advisory or wind chill warning to severe cold watch or severe cold threat. School will close when the temperature drops to 35 degrees below zero whether it be from the wind or air temperature.

-Met for a closed session for roughly 15 minutes and reconvened to vote unanimously to not to renew Mr. Jerry Smith’s contract as principal for the 2025-2026 school year.