Salem School takes ‘drastic hit’ in state aid

A sharper than expected cut in state aid is leaving Salem School District with a troubled financial outlook.

The district had been projecting about a $104,000 decline in state aid for the 2009-10 school year, calculating the loss based on its declining student population. But the state’s budget deficit prompted the Wisconsin Legislature and Gov. Jim Doyle to shift the school aid formula in the budget approved in late June, further reducing aid to many districts.