Largest school district in the state of Wisconsin. 7th
The School District of Waukesha offers 25 Advanced Placement, AP courses
Waukesha MADE is a School District of Waukesha partnership with local businesses and community members that helps students discover rewarding careers in Manufacturing, Automotive, Design, and Engineering
37.5% of School District of Waukesha families are economically disadvantaged
36 7% of students are of Asian, Black, Hispanic or other descent
100% of AVID students in the Class of 2022 were accepted into one or more colleges
22 Schools
Five Charter Schools: eAchieve Academy, Waukesha Academy of Health Professions, Waukesha STEM Academy, Waukesha EAST, and the Waukesha Engineering Preparatory Academy
48 languages are spoken in the School District of Waukesha
Offering Arts Integrated and Dual Language programming
During the 2022-23 school year, 46 students participated in the Dual Enrollment Program at WCTC
Since 2017, 239 students have received the coveted Wisconsin Seal of Biliteracy.
96% of our schools "Meets Expectations" or higher on DPI Report Card.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS: GR. 4K-5
Banting Bethesda
eAchieve
Hadfield
Hawthorne
Heyer
Hillcrest...
Lowell
Meadowbrook
Prairie
Rose Glen
Summit View Whitter
87 5 (Significantly Exceeds Exp )
68 9 (Meets Expectations)
59 9 (Meets Expectations)
60 1 (Meets Expectations)
77 0 (Exceeds Expectations)
59 7 (Meets Expectations)
77.3 (Exceeds Expectations)
73 2 (Exceeds Expectations)
90 0 (Significantly Exceeds Exp )
72 2 (Exceeds Expectations)
87 7 (Significantly Exceeds Exp )
69 3 (Meets Expectations)
64 5 (Meets Expectations)
GRADES: K-8
STEM Academy 80 1 (Exceeds Expectations)
SECONDARY SCHOOLS: GR. 6-12
Butler MS
Horning MS
Les Paul MS...
North HS
South HS
WAHP
WEPA
West HS
GRADES: 6-12
65 9 (Meets Expectations)
62 6 (Meets Expectations)
63.0 (Meets Expectations)
59 5 (Meets Expectations)
57 5 (Meets Few Expectations)
72 3 (Exceeds Expectations)
87 9 (Significantly Exceeds Exp )
77 8 (Exceeds Expectations)
eAchieve Academy 58 1 (Meets Expectations)
Ranked #2 on the DPI Report Cards among the ten largest districts in WI.
At $5.97 the School District of Waukesha has the lowest mill rate of larger K-12 schools in the area, including Oconomowoc, Pewaukee, Kettle Moraine, Menomonee Falls, Hamilton, Elmbrook, New Berlin, Mukwonago, and Muskego Norway.
11,280 Students 1,631 Employees 960 Teachers
The Waukesha Story
We recognize that our state-level elected officials are asked to increase spending for a wide range of issues every two years Public Education funding is undoubtedly no different However, as you look at the biennial budget priorities of the Waukesha School District (SDW), we feel it’s vital that you know more about the steps that have been taken on the local level to meet the economic challenges that all of us have faced in the last several years
RIGHT-SIZING OF THE DISTRICT FACILITY FOOTPRINT
In the last 5-years, the School District of Waukesha has closed two schools and is selling two sites while continuing to look at other areas of efficiency to better match our enrollment and funding
COVID Different from most Districts, when the pandemic started in 2020, SDW took the unpopular position(s) of not paying service vendors beyond our contractual obligations and laying off over 300 staff
SDW was the largest School District in the state that maintained a face-to-face instructional program option for all students
TAXATION This year, the SDW Board of Education approved a tax levy decrease of 10 2% and an equalized tax rate decrease of 20 4% In two years, SDW will be completely debt free
ESSER The School District of Waukesha has approved a plan to utilize our ESSER(s) allocations These projects will be completed over the summers of 2023 & 2024 All funds will be fully expended by the timelines laid out in the federal legislation with 37% being spent on learning recovery
SDW STATE BIENNIAL BUDGET PRIORITIES
A return to ongoing revenue growth policies that will allow the School District of Waukesha to offset the continual impact of inflation, address the growing mental health needs of our students, better ensure our ability to attract and retain quality staff in a very competitive environment, and most importantly, work to maintain a level playing field in state-wide public education funding
REVENUE LIMIT AUTHORITY
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau has estimated the inflationary adjustment to be $392 79 for fiscal year 2023/24 & $403 00 for 2024/25 SDW is in agreement with this analysis A funding adjustment of this level would go a long way towards tackling the fiscal challenges referenced above
Increase the Low Revenue Ceiling Funding Level (Rev Limit Line 4B) at a level that outpaces the growth in the Revenue Limit per Pupil Multiplier (Line 4A) In doing this, you would not only help offset the imbalance of funding levels when Revenue Limits were initially adopted but also guarantee a minimum level of funding for all students in the State of Wisconsin
Below is a chart showing the variance in Revenue Limit per member for SDW and our immediate neighbors Please note the varying level of per student funding
SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING
At the current rate of funding, there is a growing divide between school districts that are passing substantial operational referendum questions and those that are doing everything in their power to work within the parameters established by the State of Wisconsin (See the Waukesha Story) As time passes, a significant delta in funding levels between districts is being created, followed by the inevitable delta in opportunities for students
The School District of Waukesha is seeing a significant increase in mental health and special education caseloads along with the related costs associated with serving our students SDW’s current budget calls for the transfer of over $19 million dollars to Fund 27 which paired with no increase in local revenue authority funding is requiring the district to make tough decisions between meeting the needs of our most vulnerable students while attempting to maintain strong educational opportunities for all students SDW is looking for the State of Wisconsin to increase funding for special education / mental health services to 50% of aidable costs by the second year of the biennial budget This action will enable local school districts to better respond to the rapidly expanding needs of our students
Elmbrook Kettle Moraine New Berlin Menomonee Falls Hamilton Pewaukee Oconomowoc Muskego-Norway Waukesha Mukwonago State Average $
$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 7,604 3,160 4,266 3,785 5,033 2,695 5,039 4,626 11,241 4,615 5,581 12,027 20 11,723 29 11,659 32 11,430 61 11,077 89 10,804 59 10,664 79 10,439 81 10,206.94 10,016 35 10,899 45 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 1,820 26 1,516 35 1,452 38 1,223 67 870 95 597 65 457 85 232 87(190 59) 692 51
$ $
DISTRICT PUPIL COUNT 2022-23 MAXIMUM REVENUE/MEMBER DIFFERENCE COMPARED to SDW
