A $167 million budget has been proposed for the 2021-22 school year in the Port Washington school district and is scheduled to be voted on by the community next month.
The proposed $167,268,942 budget is an increase of 2.48 percent, or $4,054,079, from the 2020-21 school year’s $163,215,663. The resulting tax levy would increase by 2.067 percent.
Two teaching positions, one staff developer role and five cleaner positions were added as part of the budget, and over $1 million of the budget additions will account for construction to roofs in schools throughout the district, Mary Callahan, the district clerk, said at last week’s Board of Trustees meeting.
Callahan also said that the district would receive $4.1 million as part of the American Rescue Plan, though the state will keep 10 percent, bringing the district’s total received funds to $3.5 million.
“This is money that has to supplement what is already being done here in the school district,” Callahan said at the meeting. “It will be used in a way to shore up in any areas where we think that there have been weaknesses, over the course of this year.”
The clerk said that the district was required to spend $700,000 of the funds to address learning loss, and that various unspecified amounts would go to assisting parents on effective student support, mental health services within the district, school facility repairs, improvement of air quality, professional development on sanitation, and supplies to sanitize school grounds throughout the district. Further, Callahan said the funds would not be spent over the course of a single year.
Those in the district who are registered to vote can go to the in-person polling location, in the all-purpose room of the Flower Hill section of the Carrie Palmer Weber Middle School, located at 52 Campus Drive in Port Washington, on Tuesday, May 18.
Those wishing to vote absentee can pick up an application for an absentee ballot between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. from Monday through Friday, except holidays, from the district clerk or download one from the school district’s website, portnet.org. Completed applications must be received by the district clerk at least a week before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter.
The ballot may be mailed or picked up personally, and can be mailed or physically returned to the office of the district clerk at 100 Campus Drive in Port Washington or physically returned to the polling place by 5 p.m. on the day of the election, May 18. Absentee ballots not returned on time will not be canvassed.
