25-26 budget draft update and other items from Monday School Board meeting

RICHLAND CENTER, Wis (WRCO / WRCE) – Richland School District Business Officer, Jon Bosworth, presented the 2025-26 Budget Draft Update to members of the school board at its meeting Monday night.

There are some increases in revenue due to an increase in open enrollment, and Special Ed Categorical Aid Reimbursement and Non-Recurring Operation Refunds were also added in. The three amounts total $600,000. However, this still shows a deficit of $268,000. Bosworth stated that the majority of the deficit is for the new programs the district has set into motion, but should equal out.

The Richland School Board discussed moving forward with a Board of Governance Model type of action with a strategic planning process using the Evergreen Leadership Group. While the board is looking at a Governance Model, they still want to remain transparent to the public. The Evergreen Leadership Group would facilitate the strategic planning from January through June 2026, which consists of the initial process, the facilitation of a community event, and the event findings and recommendations.

If this process is done, committees would likely be dissolved, and committees would be developed as needed. The current committees could transition to this model by having each committee take on a very specific purpose. With these changes, the board is also discussing possibly moving the meetings to Wednesday nights to not interfere with other things on the school calendar.

Current Director of Maintenance and Operations, Brian Jones, informed the district that he intends to retire.  In response, the search for a new director was initiated.  The position was advertised, candidates were screened, and interviews were conducted.  Throughout the interview process, it became clear that, although the candidates possessed many commendable qualities and skills, none had the comprehensive background necessary to meet all the requirements of the district. 

To hire any of the candidates, they would face a steep learning curve in certain aspects of the current job duties. To facilitate a smoother transition, the board approved revamping the current configuration. The district currently has a Director of Maintenance & Operations and a Maintenance Engineer.  Both positions will be replaced with two new roles, Director of Maintenance and Director of Operations.

The Richland School board approved to allocate funds from the 2024 Capital Referendum to finance the initial investment in McKinstry Consulting Asset Management Services. McKinstry provides services to school districts for the assessment, documentation, and monitoring of their assets. The upcoming 2024 Capital Referendum will allow for upgrades to the district’s buildings and grounds. However, after the referendum projects are completed, there will still be other assets requiring repairs, and it will be important to monitor the upgraded assets as well.

McKinstry will assist the district in taking inventory of all its assets, evaluating them for functionality and lifespan, estimating replacement costs, and establishing a system for ongoing monitoring. While there will be a significant investment in the first year, the school district budget will be able to cover the costs in years two and beyond.

In action items last night, the board approved:

• The resignations of Sarah Nelson, Primary School Speech and Language Pathologist, and Adam Harlan, High School Technology Education Teacher.
• The allocation of funds from the 2024 Capital Referendum to finance the initial investment in McKinstry Consulting Asset Management Services.
• The 2025-26 SWCAP Food Program Vendor Agreement to provide meals to the SWCAP Head Start Program. SWCAP will be charged the same meal rate as students and staff of the district. The costs charged per meal per student cover the expenses.
• Three open enrollment out applications and one open enrollment in application for the 2025-26 school year.  
• The 2025-26 HIVE Student and Parent Handbook.

The board also accepted gifts including multiple track and field items, including starting blocks, batons, and cones, to the high school from Claire Haag’s family.. Claire was a longtime teacher and coach of track and field in the district.

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