As was previously announced in the March 26 newsletter, the School Financial Services (SFS) Team will no longer send general content paper mailings to you beginning July 1, 2009. The former hard copy mailings will be replaced with an electronic newsletter posted to the team’s website with e-mail notification to you. This newsletter was posted without enclosures and notification was sent to your e-mail address.

The SFS team’s electronic newsletter has a number of advantages over a mailed paper copy. For instance, the envelope icon feature at the bottom of each section allows you to automatically forward a section of the newsletter to district staff of your choosing via e-mail. It is hoped that this will enhance communication among and between school district staff.

Another feature of this newsletter is the ability to add important date information to readers’ calendars. You will note that calendar icons have been placed next to each important date under the calendar graphics. You can add, for example, the May 18 children at risk payment to your personal calendar by clicking on the icon. Note that some district security firewalls may block this feature and you may need to work through this issue with your technical service staff.

Also, next to the calendar icon is a hypertext link that will take you to more detailed information about the topic highlighted on a particular date.

Finally, the next section has an imbedded webcast that is a tutorial for you to use to file the new PI 1500 District Contacts report. We believe webcasts greatly improve our ability to provide high quality instruction to you and your staff.

As always, we solicit your feedback and suggestions for improvement.

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District administrators or their designees will be required to complete a new report that accomplishes two purposes. First, a district administrator/designee will identify the names and e-mail addresses of district staff who will receive this newsletter, the team’s bi-weekly listserve bulletin and program area specific information such as transportation, special education, and pupil count information from the team. Second, this report will also allow the district administrator to identify and authorize district staff to submit district data to the department. This report is the finance team’s attempt to get specific topical information to appropriate district staff in real time using electronic

e-mails and listserves. It is also the team’s attempt to improve the security of district data.

The district administrator/designee should view the webcast that provides the detailed instructions for completing and submitting this new report. The report will open on

June 3 and is due June 19. Click on the image to view the PI 1500 tutorial.

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The department is required by law to calculate each district’s final revenue limit for compliance with s. 121.92(2), Wis. Stats. Your district's 2008-09 final revenue limit was calculated using data on file at the department as of May 20, 2009. Revenue limit penalties, if any, are noted in the “Results” box on page 2 and reduce the June equalization aid payment to your district. The district’s worksheet can be found under “Worksheets” on the left-hand scan bar on the team’s home web page or directly at http://dpi.wi.gov/sfs/rl_worksheets.html. Membership FTE used to calculate the final revenue limit is found on your district’s home reporting page at https://www2.dpi.state.wi.us/safr/.

Please contact a school finance consultant should you have questions.

Brad Adams                         bradley.adams@dpi.wi.gov              (608) 267-3752

Lori Ames                             lori.ames@dpi.wi.gov                         (608) 266-3464

Karen Kucharz Robbe        karen.kucharzrobbe@dpi.wi.gov     (608) 267-9707

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To assist school districts in budget planning and development for the 2009-10 fiscal year, the SFS team has been providing an estimated 2009-10 Revenue Limit worksheet containing the best available data from the 2008-09 Revenue Limit computation. Now that the final 2008-09 Revenue Limit information is available, the SFS team’s estimated 2009-10 Revenue Limit worksheet has recently been updated to incorporate this final 2008-09 Revenue Limit information. At this point, districts should review any locally-created 2009-10 Revenue Limit worksheets to ensure they accurately capture final 2008-09 Revenue Limit information. The updated 2009-10 Revenue Limit worksheet is located on the SFS team’s website at http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/sfs/index.html under “Budget Development and Planning” and “Revenue Limits” or directly at http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/sfs/buddev_rl.html.

It should be noted that the school district is responsible for compliance with revenue limit law. Please contact a school finance consultant should you have questions about the worksheet developed by the SFS team.

Brad Adams  bradley.adams@dpi.wi.gov (608) 267-3752
Lori Ames  lori.ames@dpi.wi.gov   (608) 266-3464
Karen Kucharz Robbe karen.kucharzrobbe@dpi.wi.gov (608) 267-9707

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Final eligibility for 2008-09 general aid has been calculated using audited 2007-2008 Annual Report data and final state guarantees. Final general aid adjustments result from comparing the October 15, 2008 estimated aid eligibility and the recalculated final aid eligibility. By statute, aid adjustments are added to or subtracted from your district’s 2009-10 September equalization aid payment (payment date is September 14). When your district’s 2009-10 general aid payment is certified on October 15, 2009, the 2008-09 aid adjustment will be incorporated into your 2009-10 estimated aid eligibility and considered 2009-10 revenue.

Your district's “Final Calculation of 2008-09 General Aid” worksheet and the “2008-09 Final General Aid Eligibility Adjustment Summary” worksheet are found on the team’s website under “Worksheets” on the left hand scan bar or at directly at http://dpi.wi.gov/sfs/aid_worksheets.html. Membership FTE used to calculate the final aid eligibility is found on your district’s home page at https://www2.dpi.state.wi.us/safr/. Contact a school finance consultant should you have questions about the calculation.

Brad Adams                         bradley.adams@dpi.wi.gov              (608) 267-3752

Lori Ames                             lori.ames@dpi.wi.gov                         (608) 266-3464

Karen Kucharz Robbe        karen.kucharzrobbe@dpi.wi.gov     (608) 267-9707

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This mailing also includes notification of your district’s 2008-09 final special education categorical aid eligibility. This information including a worksheet is available on the “Special Education Aid” link on the left-hand scan bar of the SFS team’s website or directly at http://www.dpi.wi.gov/sfs/sped_worksheets.html.  Contact Lori Ames by email at lori.ames@dpi.wi.gov or telephone (608) 266-3464 should you have questions.

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Final 2008-09 Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) payments have been calculated for payment on June 8.  To view your district’s payment select the “Aid Information” link on the left hand scan bar of the SFS team’s website or go directly to http://www.dpi.wi.gov/sfs/SAGE.html.  Additional information about the SAGE program is located at http://dpi.wi.gov/sage/index.html.

Contact Chelssee De Barra by e-mail at chelssee.debarra@dpi.wi.gov or telephone (608) 266-2489 or should you have questions.

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Twice a year, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) certifies equalized values to the department for distribution to school districts.  In the fall, DOR certifies values to be used by school districts in the tax apportionment of school levy.  In the spring, DOR certifies equalized values for the purpose of the next fiscal year’s equalization aid computation.

In addition to revaluation for some districts, these values will differ from the October, 2008 values used in the tax apportionment of school levy because of the computer exemption aid program.  Specifically, the Fall Equalized Values – Tax Apportionment exclude the value of exempt computers.  The Spring Equalized Values – School Aid will include the value of exempt computers.  The statutory reference for computer value inclusion is s. 121.06 (4), Wis. Stats.  Therefore, districts should use the value in the column entitled, TID OUT COMBINED VALUE, for 2009-10 equalization aid projections. This is the value the department will use to calculate and certify 2009-10 equalization aid on or before October 15, 2009.

Your school district's "Spring School District Certification of 2008 Values - School Aid with Exempt Computers" are located on the finance team’s website under “Property Valuation” on the left hand scan bar or directly at http://www.dpi.wi.gov/sfs/propval.html.

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Each year by July 1, the department is required to provide each school district with an aid estimate of general aid for the next fiscal year based upon the best data available on file at the department. Shared cost data for the July 1 aid estimate will be taken from the 2008-09 PI 1504 (SAFR) Budget Report submitted by school districts. Please ensure that your district’s budget report data reflects any budget amendments approved by your school board during the 2008-09 school year. District budget reports are located under the “School Finance Reporting Portal” link on the team’s website or directly at https://www2.dpi.state.wi.us/safr/.

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Districts may amend their 2008-09 pupil count due to pupils residing in certain group and foster homes per s. 121,05(4), Wis. Stats. Information outlining the process to make such a membership adjustment request and other information about group and foster home membership adjustments is available under the “Group and Foster” link on the left-hand scan bar of the team’s website or directly at http://www.dpi.wi.gov/sfs/foster.html. This report is due June 26.

Contact Debbie Gaffney-Dilley by e-mail at debra.gaffney-dilley@dpi.wi.gov or telephone at (608) 267-9114 should you have questions.

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The PI 1804/1805 report collects FTE (full time equivalency) data that is used in the calculation of the district’s revenue limit and equalization aid calculations. This is an optional report. Detailed summer school reporting instructions and the worksheets needed to complete the Internet report are available under the “Summer School” link on the left-hand scan bar of the team's website or directly at http://dpi.wi.gov/sfs/summ_sch.html. The PI 1804/1805 Summer School Report is located within the “School Finance Reporting Portal” located at https://www2.dpi.state.wi.us/safr/ and will open for data entry on June 3. The report is due on October 2.

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The PI 1547 Transportation Report is used to collect data for the payment of categorical transportation aid to school districts per

s. 121.58, Wis. Stats. The 2008-09 PI 1547 Transportation Report is currently open for district data entry and is due August 3. Districts can access this report by clicking on the “School Finance Reporting Portal” link located on the team’s website or directly at https://www2.dpi.state.wi.us/safr/ and then proceeding to the district’s “Non-Financial Data” home page.

Contact Pam Schumacher by e-mail at pamela.schumacher@dpi.wi.gov or telephone (608) 267-9205 should you have questions.

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On each district’s reporting home page located at https://www2.dpi.state.wi.us/safr/ is a schedule of required and optional data collection reports. This schedule of reports is accessed by clicking on the “Status and Deadlines” link. The schedule has been updated to include both the remaining 2008-09 reports and the reports that will be collected during the 2009-10 fiscal year. It is recommended that district staff review the report schedule to ensure compliance with the report due dates.

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