Finance

District Revenues and Expenditures Budget 2024-2025

The District Revenue Expenditure Budget is a document prepared at the completion of financial reporting for the previous school year, with a look at how fund balances changed during the previous year. It also applies the current Revenue and Expenditure Budget to project fund balances at the end of the current school year. It is completed in November each year. The District will revise the current year budget in February or March with these projections in mind.

Truth in Taxation Presentation

Each year, the Waterville-Elysian-Morristown School District–along with all of the other school districts, counties, cities, townships and special districts in the state–levies taxes from the property owners who live within the district. Property taxes are collected by the county on behalf of the school. Property taxes are levied for programs like Health & Safety and Community Education based on laws established by the Minnesota State Legislature. Property taxes are also levied based on referendum questions passed by local voters. These levies include Operating Referendums and Building Bond Referendums.

A Proposed Property Tax Statement is prepared and sent to taxpayers in the fall of the year to share information about the taxes they will pay in May and November the following year. Taxpayers have an opportunity to learn more about the Districts plans for the upcoming year by attending the Truth in Taxation Hearing, normally conducted during the December regular meeting of the WEM School Board. The date, time, and location of the hearing is included on the Proposed Property Tax Statement. Additionally, taxpayers are invited to contact the District Office with questions at 507-362-4432.

The Truth in Taxation presentation includes an overview of the Truth in Taxation process, the District’s Budget for the current school year, and the Levy for the upcoming calendar year.

2023-2024 Financial Statements

Financial Statements are prepared annually according to guidelines set forth by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). They are subject to an independent financial statement audit conducted by a qualified accounting firm, selected by the WEM School Board. A presentation of the Financial Statements and the results of the annual audit is given by the auditors to the School Board annually, usually at the November or December board meeting. Financial records and the audited statements are provided to the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Office of State Auditor.

In years that the amount of Federal Grants exceeds a defined threshold, the auditors will perform an additional audit of our Federal Grants. This is called a Single Audit, since it is conducted along side our regular audit. When a Single Audit is completed, the results are reported to the Federal Government. Federal Grants that the district regularly receives include Federal Special Education, Title I, Title IV, and Food Service Benefits (Free & Reduced Meal Reimbursements). One-time grants, such as COVID grants, from the Federal Government are also included in determining whether the threshold of a Single Audit has been met and are subject to the Single Audit procedures. 

FINANCE STAFF 

Margaret Jewison
Business Manager
mjewison@wem.k12.mn.us

Cathy Hermel
District Administrative Assistant
chermel@wem.k12.mn.us

Electronic invoices are happily accepted, but only at the designated email (please do not email invoices to individual staff emails):
ap@wem.k12.mn.us

WEM Partners in Education (PIE) is a partnership of parents, teachers, community members, and administrators.

The goal of PIE is a partnership between parents and school staff for the betterment of our schools. Please join us in working to do just that! We plan and organize student/family activities, volunteer opportunities, teacher appreciation, and fundraising.

Purpose

• To enrich the children’s education and experience through our volunteerism and special programs.
• To provide recognition and appreciation of teachers and staff.
• To raise funds that are made available to teachers and staff in order to benefit our children’s education.
• To provide communication and discussion between home and school.
• To encourage the BUCS Pride culture of being Respectful, Responsible, Safe and Positive at school, home, and throughout the community.
• To collaborate effectively in fostering community and school camaraderie.

Membership

If you are interested in joining PIE and being added to the email list for updates, please complete the form below.

Meetings

Meetings will take place in the board room at the high school in Waterville at 5:00 p.m. on the fourth Monday of the month unless it is a holiday. Then they will be on the third Monday of the month. This coincides with the school board meetings, which start at 6:00 p.m. During the pandemic, the meetings will also be held on Zoom. For the link each month, check the WEM calendar and/or the WEM PIE Facebook page.

As of October 2020, we need to create bylaws, and we are looking for people to fill our leadership positions of President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer as well as general members to help support the PIE organization. New officers will be appointed to permit the organization to function effectively.

Questions

If you have questions, please contact Principal Bastian at bbastian@wem.k12.mn.us or Principal Wilson at jwilson@wem.k12.mn.us or Patty Salmon at psalmon@wem.k12.mn.us.

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