School Officials Mull Adding Marketing Professional to Generate Revenue

In the short-term, officials are optimistic about .

But with the available revenue waning from year-to-year, school officials say if they don't find significant new sources of income, they "will run out of money within five years."

That’s one reason the first version of the 2012-13 budget includes $75,000 for a full-time development/marketing director.

John Florsheim, a member of an ad-hoc finance committee that has been working on long-term fixes to budget gaps and , said at meeting on March 28 the committee recommends the district look at creating the marketing position. This staff member would market the school district and its image while also helping it become more aggressive in fundraising and attracting young families to increase resident enrollment.

Florsheim said in some districts across the nation, donations make up 10 percent of their budget. Some districts in California have become more aggressive with generating donations and dealing with limited revenue limits for decades.

The Shorewood Supporters of Excellence in Educational Development Foundation has raised $1 million since its inception in 2003, but officials said they need donations to be a more significant portion of their revenue.

According to IRS Form 990 filings, the foundation donated about $96,000 to the district in 2010, including $70,000 to the general fund. The district hopes fundraising can make up 1.5 percent of its budget in the future, or about $300,000. Boehlke said the SEED averages about $60,000 in donations to the general fund per year.

Around the North Shore, the Mequon-Thiensville Education Foundation donated  more than $250,000 back to its district in 2010 and the Whitefish Bay Public Education Foundation donated about $75,000, according to Internal Revenue Service documents.

Budget manageable for two years

School officials were staring at a $1.95 million budget deficit last year after state aid was dramatically cut and tax levies frozen as part of the state's 2011-13 budget, but say they were essentially saved when .

This year's initial gap is $429,497, due to the shifting of funds out of the operating fund allowed by the referendum, and officials say the budget gap will be remain manageable in 2013-14.

But afterward, the district will be right back to battling gaps ranging from $700,000 to upwards of $1.95 million.

Business Manager Mark Boehlke said the district’s revenue limit, set by the state, increases at an average of .13 percent per year, far below the typical inflation rate of 2.5 percent.

Additionally, Superintendent Blane McCann said, the district has estimated a revenue increase of about $100 per student for next year's budget, but that will decrease to $50 in the following years.

"Unless there are significant changes at the state level, we are going to face some of the similar gaps that we have in the past," he said.

What's next

The district will hold the second of two town hall meetings on McCann's budget recommendations at 6:30 p.m. on April 13, in the library.