Interesting Madison School District Budget Notes

A reader emailed this interesting MMSD budget item. The land and buildings around East Towne Mall are not in the MMSD, according to the district’s map.

Fitchburg contributed $10,030,120 or 5% [Fitchburg City Budget PDF] to the MMSD’s $200,363,255 total Tax Levy (total MMSD 2005/2006 budget is $321+M [includes funds redistributed via other means such as income, gas and other taxes/fees from state and federal organizations]); see the 2005-2006 Budget Amendments and Tax Levy Adoption [PDF].

5 thoughts on “Interesting Madison School District Budget Notes”

  1. Hi Ed:
    Tax base (though it does not necessarily mean that the district would receive more money, but it could reduce taxes for the rest of the mmsd taxpayers, or slow the increases).
    The American Center, just across the Interstate is also not in the MMSD, according to the map.

  2. I believe that is accurate and that area is still in the Sun Prairie Area School District. Middleton-Cross Plains takes in some far west side areas and part of the Cherokee Country Club area is in Waunakee.
    Commercial property won’t lift the revenue cap number, but any expansion of the tax base tends to benefit individual taxpayers. Although to the extent it would raise assessed value per member, it might reduce state equalization aid.

  3. This is dating back in the 70’s when MMSD and Sun Prairie took over land I believe was in the Town of Blooming Grove or Town of Burke (I don’t remember which) and attended Sun Prairie School before the agreements. MMSD got the housing areas east of the airport while Sun Prairie received the commercial areas of East Towne and the land where American Family later built.
    This is just like us living in Fitchburg and in the MMSD school district even though we are in walking distance to the Verona schools. There are also homes that are between us and Leopold who go to Verona. The district lines are not as easy as saying if you are in Madison, you go to Madison Schools and pay MMSD school taxes.

  4. To clarify – school district lines were “frozen” in 1982 when the state legislature allowed school districts to be independent taxing authorities (before then the district budget had to go through the city Board of Estimates). Prior to 1982, whenever land became part of the city it became part of the school district.
    Currently, the two school districts must agree to transfer land; there is a complicated appeal process where Madison was successful only 1 time our of about 23 tries. Over the last 10 years, the district developed agreements with Sun Prairie, Verona and Middleton that laid out agreed upon boundaries and a process to transfer land (there is an exchange of land of equal value at the time of the exchange).
    There are pieces of the city of Madison that go to other school districts – Tim Schell identifies some – the Maple Grove neighborhood by Huegel goes to Verona, Elver Park and Blackhawk go to Middleton and American Family goes to Sun Prairie.
    Carol

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