RIVER FALLS — The River Falls Board of Education approved the 2025-26 budget and tax levy during the Oct. 27 meeting.

The board dove deep into the budget during the September board meeting and opened the floor to residents at the annual meeting, so the next step was to make the final approval.

Since the budget hearing, changes have come from salary and benefits tweaks, property values coming in and official enrollment numbers.

Property values through the district increased by 7.39%, just shy of the state average 8%.
The district’s student enrollment count is 3,380. Like the majority of other schools in the state, declining enrollment has decreased part of the state aid formula since it operates on a per pupil model.

“The good news is we have a record breaking, most ever open enrollment in of 220 students,” Board Treasurer Mike Miller said. “The downside is we have also a record number of students out of 206.”

River Falls will receive a $400,000 exemption to ride out the first year of the declining enrollment.

“What it provides for us in our revenue limit is an exemption to sort of ride that through the first year,” Finance Director Lynette Coy said. “To sort of give us an opportunity to prepare for that next year.”

Coy said the district has only received the declining enrollment exemption once in the last 10 years, and it was for $10,000 in 2022-23. The 2025-27 state biennial budget saw some aid increases, including to special education reimbursement, but state equalization aid was not increased. Coy mentioned 71% of districts in Wisconsin saw a decrease in state aid including River Falls.

“The main factors of how that aid gets distributed amongst school districts across the state is your spending and your property values,” Coy said.

The revenue limit remains the same for River Falls, so the burden is shifted to property taxes. The 2025-26 levy was set at $27,232,242 with a mill rate of 6.89. The mill rate is two ticks higher than anticipated at the annual meeting before the final data came in at 6.87.

Other business

• Approved new courses of AP World History: Modern, Humanities, Walking For Wellness and Living Your Best Life: Reading and Reflections on Improving Your Health & Happiness. The course names are subject to change.
• Appointed Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent Amanda Taylor as deputy clerk for the 2026 school board elections.