Legislative Advocacy Priorities

Categorical aid is state or federal aid that is intended to finance or reimburse some specific  category or instructional or supporting program, or to aid a particular target group of pupils. The district may only use the aid for the purpose for which it was paid. (source: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction). 

Per-pupil categorical aid is provided by the state, and is allocated to districts based on their three-year average for enrollment. This type of revenue is preferred because it is actual dollars that the district can put directly into the classroom, whereas state equalization aid lowers the tax levy and does not create any additional revenue for the district. 

For 2023-24, the cost of living increase is trending at 8%. For 2024-25,  the district is currently forecasting a cost of living increase of 5%. 

Strategic Compensation is MTSD’s approach to attract, retain, and grow talented employees while aligning professional behaviors and job performance with our goals and objectives. There are four funding priorities within the employee strategic compensation system:

1. Performance Increases
2. Cost of Living Adjustments
3. Health Care Benefits
4. Retirement Benefits 

The following variables were accounted for to determine the total amount needed to support competitive employee compensation for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years:

• Performance increases for teacher and non-represented staff members of up to 2.5% of base salary
• Cost of living increases for teacher and non-represented staff members at 8% of base salary in 2023-24 and 5% in 2024-25 
• No increase to the District’s medical insurance plan design 
• Competitive wage increases across work groups to provide compensation in the top ⅓ percent of similar jobs within the industry in southeastern Wisconsin
• Educational support professional, administrative support, and management confidential percentage increases in line with inflation
• Increase to new teachers’ base salaries at a rate competitive with comparable school districts in southeastern Wisconsin
• Salary adjustments to ensure equity internally for positions with similar responsibilities

To keep pace with surrounding districts, MTSD will need to plan for at least a 4% increase in compensation for staff. This increase alone creates a significant budget deficit. Without an increase in funding from the state,  MTSD may need to consider increasing class sizes, eliminating courses, lowering the increase in compensation for staff members, or freezing wages altogether.  

Going into the 2021-22 school year, the MTSD employee retention rate had registered above 90 percent since at least 2018. At the conclusion of the most challenging hiring season we’ve experienced in years, the employee retention rate decreased seven percentage points to 87.11%.

• 2022 -  87.11%
• 2021 - 94.13%
• 2020 - 92.88%
• 2019 - 90.89%
• 2018 - 90.68%

In Mequon and Thiensville, we are lucky to have an active and engaged local business community, who have supported our public school students through an array of partnerships and mentorships, exposing students to various fields and areas of expertise. In MTSD, we believe it is the responsibility of the entire  community to ensure our children have what they need to become successful members of society. Our students are our future workforce and each child’s journey toward their post-secondary educational and career aspirations requires unique supports. 

Without a predictable and sustainable funding system, the opportunities we are able to provide to our students will become limited. The broad range of educational activities we currently offer our students cannot be maintained without adequate financial support from the state. For students who rely on exposure to career options and experiences within the school environment, the loss of these opportunities would have a detrimental impact on their growth and ultimately, could limit their future contributions to our community. 

Ideally, the funding pays for the salaries of personnel, equipment, materials, and other contracted educational services that, under federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) legislation, school districts are legally mandated to provide for the purpose of ensuring a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for every student who qualifies for an IEP. At a 27.5% special education reimbursement rate in Wisconsin, the current reality means that districts are required to cover the vast majority of costs associated with educating students with special needs.   

Currently we have 357 students receiving services through an Individual Education Plan (IEP), which is 10% of our student population. Over the past 10 years, we have ranged from servicing 316 (9%) to 414 (11.6%) students with IEPs. 

In a time that inflation is hitting levels not seen in 40 years, public schools are in dire need of additional state funding. In Wisconsin, public school districts have not had a per pupil adjustment that has kept pace with the rate of inflation for 14 years, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. The state of Wisconsin has dropped from 11th to 25th in funding public education compared to the nation.  In the 2021-23 Biennial Budget school districts were told to rely on one-time federal COVID relief funds to make ends meet, further contributing to the fiscal cliff. Like many districts, MTSD is facing a large  structural deficit in the 2022-2023 school year and as we look forward due to prices for wages and benefits, transportation, heating, food, and materials and supplies continue to rise.

If MTSD is not able to secure adequate state funding, starting in the 2023-2024 school year, we may not have the budget available to afford current levels of staffing and programming, negatively impacting the high-quality instruction and opportunities we offer  our students. Additionally, we will lack the flexibility to make competitive salary offers to attract and retain the best educators. We will have to dip further into the general education fund to cover expenses related to covering the gap in funding for special education services. Without proper funding, MTSD will face unprecedented challenges in providing our students with the education that our school community demands and that our children deserve.

Please visit myvote.wi.gov to search for the elected officials in your district. State contacts for Mequon and Thiensville are listed on the right sidebar.