Pines school board approves final tax levy amid busy meeting

The Northland Pines Board of Education held its regular monthly meeting last week and several items were on the agenda for voting, including a motion by board president, Jennifer Payne, to approve the 2026-2027 tax levy of $20.8 million.

This amount is a slight increase from the projected levy of $20.7 million announced during the annual board meeting in September.

A higher final tax levy also means a fractional increase in the projected mill rate to be paid by property owners in the district. The mill rate increased by two cents to $3.04 for every $1,000 of equalized property value to be included as a line item on property tax statements mailed at the end of the year. The new mill rate is the lowest rate on record going back at least 15 years and is 18 cents lower than what was collected during the prior fiscal year.

Business Manager Tara Fritz explained that updated calculations are necessary because certain elements such as state aid and overall property values are not released until after the annual meeting.

“Once I have the final information,” she said, “I can really hone in on what the levy should be.” Fritz then prepared final budget amendments which were unanimously approved by board members.

Another action item for consideration by the board was a vote to renew the heath plan coverage for full-time employees in 2027 with monthly premiums increasing 8.5%. The decision followed a review of different options, including higher plan deductibles, or a transition to self-funded program to help lower costs. In the end, the board agreed with the recommendation by school officials to renew the existing health benefit plan, which was the most cost-effective option for the district.

In a related matter, the board voted unanimously to approve the continuation of dental, vision, life, and long-term disability benefits with renewals by existing vendors at no change to premiums. Benefit levels and coinsurance levels would remain the same as the current plans.

Next on the agenda was a vote to approve preliminary planning for a possible school forest classroom to be built and funded through donations orchestrated by the Northland Pines Community Foundation. The proposed building will have space for 100 people with a large open-concept classroom in its center. Total expected costs to construct the classroom is estimated to be $400,000.

District Administrator Tony Duffek provided a summary of the project which he said has been a dream to a lot of staff members, and explained some of the timing.

“We have a generous community member who is willing to donate up to $100,000 if we can also raise $100,000 through the Pines Community Foundation,” he said. “I spoke with the foundation and they are excited about this opportunity and confident that they can raise the money. The plan would then be to build a classroom that would be available year-round out at the school forest.”

Duffek added that arrangements have also been made with CornerStone Custom Builders to assist with the construction, in a similar manner as with the small homes built in recent years at the high school by Northland Pines students through the building trades courses with CornerStone guidance. He said that once funding looks to be locked in, the district would bring the final plans to the school board for a vote of approval before proceeding. In the meantime, the board voted unanimously to proceed with the preliminary planning process.

Another unanimous vote took place regarding the potential for the varsity football team to change conferences due to the heavy travel time and long distances covered for road games in the current Northwoods Conference. The athletic director has submitted a formal request with the WIAA to move to the Great Northern Conference to match other sports teams at Northland Pines.

Prior to the voting on action items, Duffek and high school principal Ed Carlson presented former student, Skyler Schotz, with his high school diploma. Schotz was originally scheduled to graduate with his class earlier this year but was unable to attend school during the closing weeks of the final semester. During the summer months, however, school staff worked with him to finish the required coursework, and at the beginning of the board meeting, he received the diploma with a loud round of applause from family, friends, board members, and school officials.

Duffek also announced that the Wisconsin Association of School Boards designated the first week in October as School Board Appreciation Week and he acknowledged the hard work and dedication of the current board members, and thanked them for their collective 40 years of service to the community.

Before the meeting went into a closed session, Duffek reviewed the latest status of district goals and shared positive thoughts on a recent No Tech Day throughout the district when technology was unplugged and learning methods instead used hands-on activities and face-to-face connections.

The next regular meeting of the school board will take place on Monday, Nov. 16, at 6 p.m. at the high school large group instruction room.