Athens K-12 tentatively sets $3.5M tax levy
By Casey Krautkramer
The Athens Board of Education on Sept. 16 unanimously approved the school district’s estimated tax levy of $3.5 million for the 2024-25 school year. The school board will approve the finalized 2024-25 budget at the end of October once the district has its third Friday in September student enrollment count along with its equalized land value and state aid that it receives in October.
The district’s general fund balance for the 2024-25 school year is anticipated to be $950,962, or 10 percent of its total budget, which is considered by financial experts to be too low. At least for now, the district has a positive general fund balance since voters approved a four year, non-recurring operational referendum in the spring of 2023.
Beth Steinke, the district’s business office manager, said that financial advisor Elise Murn from Baird told her that a school district’s general fund should be at least 15 to 30 percent of its total budget. The general fund is the largest of the funds in a district’s budget because it pays for staff salaries and benefits.
Steinke said the school board will be asked in October to vote on allowing the district to borrow money on a short-term basis so it can pay its employees during periods when it isn’t receiving property tax money or state aid.
Other business
■ The board approved the district’s revenues and expenditures for the 2023-24 school year and kept board salaries the same for the 2024-25 school year. The board president will again earn $175 this school year, the vice president $100, clerk $175 and treasurer $125. Each board member will earn $85 for each meeting they attend. The next annual meeting and budget hearingwas scheduled for 5 p.m. on Sept. 15, 2025.
■ The board hired Mandy Ellenbecker as Athens Middle School volleyball coach, with board member Tom “Chummo” Ellenbecker abstaining from the vote. The board also hired Jeramie Penney as the fall activities supervisor, Mike Baer as varsity girls basketball coach and Shari Parks as a part-time Title 1 reading teacher at St. Anthony de Padua Catholic School and Trinity Lutheran School in Athens.
■ Samantha Boivin, Marathon County Special Education school psychologist for the Athens School District, provided the annual seclusion and restraint report for the 2023-24 school year. Seclusion consists of involuntary confinement of a student apart from his or her classmates, or in a room in which the student is physically prevented from leaving. Physical restraint is a restriction that immobilizes or reduces the ability of a student to freely move his or her torso, arms, legs or head.
Boivin said Athens had 27 incidents of seclusion involving four students, three of which have disabilities, but law enforcement was not involved. Of this total amount, there were 24 incidents of seclusion at Athens Elementary School involving three children who all have disabilities and three incidents of seclusion at Maple Grove Charter School in Hamburg involving one student who doesn’t have a disability.
Boivin said the Athens School District had 12 incidents of physical restraint involving four students, three of which have disabilities, but law enforcement was not involved. All 12 of the physical restraint incidents occurred at Athens Elementary.
■ Superintendent Andrea Sheridan thanked S.D. Ellenbecker of Athens for donating time and materials for improving the retaining wall on the track in front of the football field’s home bleachers, along with the sidewalk and tennis courts at the middle/high school.
