Budget Hearing + School Board Meeting Preview - July 28, 2025 

This week, Wauwatosa residents went online and saw the numbers:

• Property assessments are up 50–75%

• Property taxes are rising 20–30%

And this comes less than a year after voters approved $124 million in school referenda—just days before the school board votes on the 2025–26 budget, despite:

• An $11 million structural deficit (revised to $3.2M without clear explanation or inclusion of the $2.27M state aid cut)

• No corrective action following repeat audit issues

• A proposed $350 million expansion for middle and high schools

The Tax Spike Is Worse Than Projected

Earlier this year, we warned of a 52% property tax increase by 2030. That now looks conservative.

According to the CFO, WSD is on track for a $23 million deficit by decade’s end. If trends continue, the 2028 referendum may fail—triggering deep cuts to programs, staff, and student services.

The warning lights are flashing red. But the board is still stepping on the gas.

A Pattern of Collapse

The xCore Reports and internal audits reveal a multi-year breakdown in oversight:

• $8.2 million in budget overruns

• No corrective amendment filed — potential violation of Wis. Stat. § 65.90

• Checks unreconciled since 2016

• Spending up 45% since 2021 — while student outcomes decline

Audit findings also show:

• No supporting documentation for disbursements

• Lack of invoice approvals

• Missing purchase orders

• Basic controls disregarded

Still, the board refuses to commission a forensic audit—while preparing to pass another unbalanced budget and launch a $350 million building plan. Last week we reported on a district in Illinois currently undergoing a forensic audit amidst calls for termination of the superintendent. This is what districts do when budgets go off the rails.

Spending More, Serving Fewer

Despite steady enrollment declines, the budget reveals:

• Administrative and support service costs are rising

• Core staffing cuts are offset by central office expansion

• The largest cost drivers are salaries and benefits—outside the classroom

The result: more bureaucracy, less support for teachers, fewer students served.
This is not sustainable.

Budget Theater and Evasion

At the final board meeting of the fiscal year in June, Dr. Means claimed a 92% teacher retention rate. Staff pushed back immediately.

Similar reports came from Madison, McKinley, Montessori, East, and Longfellow. The district has refused to release building-level data.

Meanwhile, teachers were asked to sign contracts based on last year’s salaries—despite unsettled health insurance premiums and raises. Yet the CFO presented projections as if those figures were finalized.

That’s not transparency. It’s selective certainty.

Then came a celebration: a $50,000 donation and a projected $50,000 surplus.
Board members applauded.

But balancing a budget isn’t a win—it’s a legal requirement. Last year, after overspending by $8.2 million, the district failed to file the required amendment under Wis. Stat. § 65.90.

Also buried in that same presentation:
An $11 million structural deficit.

The board’s response? Applause.

Then came the July 14 board meeting, held just after the $2.27M state aid cut was confirmed.

There was:

• No discussion

• No urgency

• No plan

Instead, the board advanced design briefings for the $350M building plan.
Three members didn’t even attend.

Real Example: A Modest Home Hit Hard

2024 Assessed Value: $287,300
2025 Assessed Value: $466,000
2024 Tax Bill: $6,470

2025 Impact:

• Revaluation Increase: $333

• WSD School Referendum: $772

• Inflation Adjustment: $233

2025 Tax Bill: $7,808.45

A $1,300+ increase in just one year—a 21% jump on a typical home.
And this is just the beginning.

This Isn’t Just About Schools — It Affects Everyone

WSD’s decisions are impacting our city:

• Retirees on fixed incomes

• Working families stretched thin

• Homeowners trying to stay in Wauwatosa

Leaders talk about “equity.”
But what kind of equity drives out families who can’t absorb 20–30% tax hikes?

With $1 billion in projected school and city referenda within a decade, the local debt burden per Wauwatosa family of four would exceed $89,000.

That’s nearly the same as the U.S. federal debt per person—but concentrated in one small city.

What the Superintendent Won’t Say

Dr. Means opens his budget message with PR:

• Thanking voters

• Touting “transparency”

• Celebrating “progress”

But he omits:

• The structural deficit

• The $2.27M state aid cut

• Audit failures

• Plans for $350 mm in blowout spending - the largest on record, with no ceiling yet defined.

He claims, “responsible stewardship.” But:

• Budget overruns were never corrected

• Audit findings remain unresolved

• Spending has soared—while outcomes fall

This isn’t just careless.
It’s silence—when clarity is most needed.

How You Can Take Action — Right Now:

1. SHOW UP & SPEAK OUT (or go online and go virtual)

Monday, July 28 @ 6:00 PM
Fisher Building — Public Comment opens the meeting
Even one sentence counts:

“This is unaffordable.”
“You’re driving families out.”
“This is terrible. I don’t agree with it.”

2. WRITE THE BOARD. Email all members directly. Let them hear your story.

3. ATTEND FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETINGS. These meetings are public. Your voice matters.

4. TELL OTHERS AND START BY SHARING THIS MESSAGE

We’re Calling on the School Board to:

• Freeze the $350M expansion until financial controls are restored

• Commission a full forensic audit

• Realign spending with student outcomes—not bureaucracy

This Isn’t Just a School Finance Issue

It’s a citywide reckoning.

The only way this stops is if we all stand up—together.

Let’s do that—
For our schools,
For our homes,
For our future.

The 2030 Task Force

2030TaskForce@gmail.com

www.Tosa2030.com