Merrill Area School DistrictBudget & Spending

Merrill, Lincoln County, Wisconsin NCES 5509210

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Total revenue · FY2024
$45.9M $45,908,000
Students enrolled
2,798
Revenue per pupil
$16,407
Local share per pupil
$5,693 11th percentile in WI

Transparency grade C, provisional

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NCES F-33 · FY2024

Where the money goes

Operating and capital spending from the federal expenditure survey, rolled up by function. Aggregate categories only: no individual payees or contracts are shown.

Instruction
$22.3M 54.6% of spending
Administration
$4.0M 9.9% of spending
Per pupil
$14,585 All functions
Instruction — 54.6%Student Transportation — 8.8%General Administration — 8.6%Instructional Staff Support — 8.1%Business & Central Services — 6.0%Student Support Services — 5.4%Operations & Maintenance — 5.1%Capital Outlay — 1.5%School Administration — 1.3%Food Services — 0.7%Total$40.8MK12 Transparency
Dollars by function
K12 TransparencyInstructionInstruction — $22,272,000$22.3MStudent TransportationStudent Transportation — $3,571,000$3.6MGeneral AdministrationGeneral Administration — $3,494,000$3.5MInstructional Staff Suppo…Instructional Staff Support — $3,297,000$3.3MBusiness & Central Servic…Business & Central Services — $2,451,000$2.5MStudent Support ServicesStudent Support Services — $2,214,000$2.2MOperations & MaintenanceOperations & Maintenance — $2,087,000$2.1MCapital OutlayCapital Outlay — $622,000$622KSchool AdministrationSchool Administration — $534,000$534KFood ServicesFood Services — $268,000$268K
  • Instruction 54.6%
  • Student Transportation 8.8%
  • General Administration 8.6%
  • Instructional Staff Support 8.1%
  • Business & Central Services 6.0%
  • Student Support Services 5.4%
  • Operations & Maintenance 5.1%
  • Capital Outlay 1.5%
  • School Administration 1.3%
  • Food Services 0.7%
Reported separately from the chart above Interest on Debt: $1,198,000 Debt service is not operating spending and is not comparable between districts, so it sits outside the chart. In some states, recapture payments are reported in this federal variable as well.
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Merrill Area School District expenditures by function
FunctionAmountPer pupilShare
Instruction $22,272,000 $7,960 54.6%
Student Transportation $3,571,000 $1,276 8.8%
General Administration $3,494,000 $1,249 8.6%
Instructional Staff Support $3,297,000 $1,178 8.1%
Business & Central Services $2,451,000 $876 6.0%
Student Support Services $2,214,000 $791 5.4%
Operations & Maintenance $2,087,000 $746 5.1%
Capital Outlay $622,000 $222 1.5%
School Administration $534,000 $191 1.3%
Food Services $268,000 $96 0.7%
Total $40,810,000 $14,585 100%

NCES F-33 · FY2015–FY2024

How this has changed

Measure FY2015 FY2024 Change %
Total revenue $39,892,000 $45,908,000 +$6,016,000 +15.1%
Total expenditure $38,091,000 $44,687,000 +$6,596,000 +17.3%
Revenue per pupil $11,627 $16,407 +$4,781 +41.1%
Students enrolled 3,431 2,798 -633 -18.4%
Change since FY2015, every measure on one scale
-20%0%+20%+40%+60%K12 TransparencyTotal revenue, FY2015: $39,892,000 (+0.0%)Total revenue, FY2016: $40,723,000 (+2.1%)Total revenue, FY2017: $41,436,000 (+3.9%)Total revenue, FY2018: $42,290,000 (+6.0%)Total revenue, FY2019: $41,987,000 (+5.3%)Total revenue, FY2020: $43,212,000 (+8.3%)Total revenue, FY2021: $47,003,000 (+17.8%)Total revenue, FY2022: $48,779,000 (+22.3%)Total revenue, FY2023: $45,063,000 (+13.0%)Total revenue, FY2024: $45,908,000 (+15.1%)Total expenditure, FY2015: $38,091,000 (+0.0%)Total expenditure, FY2016: $37,934,000 (-0.4%)Total expenditure, FY2017: $41,487,000 (+8.9%)Total expenditure, FY2018: $39,968,000 (+4.9%)Total expenditure, FY2019: $43,191,000 (+13.4%)Total expenditure, FY2020: $41,680,000 (+9.4%)Total expenditure, FY2021: $44,153,000 (+15.9%)Total expenditure, FY2022: $45,317,000 (+19.0%)Total expenditure, FY2023: $44,398,000 (+16.6%)Total expenditure, FY2024: $44,687,000 (+17.3%)Revenue per pupil, FY2015: $11,627 (+0.0%)Revenue per pupil, FY2016: $12,262 (+5.5%)Revenue per pupil, FY2017: $12,503 (+7.5%)Revenue per pupil, FY2018: $12,831 (+10.4%)Revenue per pupil, FY2019: $12,758 (+9.7%)Revenue per pupil, FY2020: $13,366 (+15.0%)Revenue per pupil, FY2021: $14,166 (+21.8%)Revenue per pupil, FY2022: $15,962 (+37.3%)Revenue per pupil, FY2023: $15,502 (+33.3%)Revenue per pupil, FY2024: $16,407 (+41.1%)Students enrolled, FY2015: 3,431 (+0.0%)Students enrolled, FY2016: 3,321 (-3.2%)Students enrolled, FY2017: 3,314 (-3.4%)Students enrolled, FY2018: 3,296 (-3.9%)Students enrolled, FY2019: 3,291 (-4.1%)Students enrolled, FY2020: 3,233 (-5.8%)Students enrolled, FY2021: 3,318 (-3.3%)Students enrolled, FY2022: 3,056 (-10.9%)Students enrolled, FY2023: 2,907 (-15.3%)Students enrolled, FY2024: 2,798 (-18.4%)+41.1%+17.3%+15.1%-18.4%'15'18'21'24Total revenueTotal expenditureRevenue per pupilStudents enrolled

Percent change from each measure's FY2015 level. Nominal dollars as filed, not adjusted for inflation. Hover any point for the underlying number.

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100-point rubric

What Merrill Area School District needs for an A

  • Public check register

    14 pts

    Every disbursement published with payee category, date, amount, and fund, updated at least quarterly.

    A check register records where money actually went, rather than where it was budgeted to go.

  • Annual financial audit

    6 pts

    A current Annual Comprehensive Financial Report with the independent auditor opinion attached.

    A financial audit confirms the statements are accurately presented. Most states require one, so it is a floor rather than a distinction.

  • Performance or efficiency audit

    5 pts

    An independent review of whether spending achieved its stated purpose, published within the last three years.

    A financial audit asks whether the numbers are right. A performance audit asks whether the money did what it was meant to do, which is the question a taxpayer is usually asking.

  • Line-item adopted budget

    11 pts

    The adopted budget broken out by function and object code, not a summary presentation.

    Function and object detail is what allows classroom and central office spending to be compared.

  • Purchasing card transactions

    9 pts

    Purchasing and credit card transaction detail with merchant category, date, and amount.

    Card purchases sit outside the standard purchase-order process, so separate disclosure is what makes them reviewable.

  • Payment history by category

    9 pts

    Cumulative payments grouped by spending category, covering at least one full fiscal year.

    Category totals show concentration and recurring commitments that individual payments do not.

  • Machine-readable data

    9 pts

    Financial data offered as CSV, XLSX, JSON, or an open API rather than scanned images.

    A scanned PDF is technically public and practically difficult to analyse. Open formats make review possible.

  • Compensation schedule

    7 pts

    Current salary schedules and aggregate administrator compensation bands, including stipends.

    Payroll is the largest line in most district budgets, so schedule-level disclosure covers the bulk of spending.

  • Bond and capital disclosure

    7 pts

    Bond program spending reported against the specific projects voters approved, with remaining balances.

    Bond funds are borrowed against future taxes and authorised for a named project list, so reporting against that list closes the loop.

  • Board minutes and agendas

    7 pts

    Minutes and agenda packets posted together with the financial exhibits that were voted on.

    The vote and its attachment are what connect a decision to the money it moved.

  • Contracts posted

    6 pts

    Executed contracts and amendments above the district bid threshold, posted in full.

    A payment shows the amount. The contract shows what was promised in return.

  • Direct download, no request

    6 pts

    Core financial records download directly, with no records request, login, or fee.

    Publishing a record and releasing it on request are different levels of disclosure.

  • Published records process

    4 pts

    A public records page naming the responsible officer, the statutory timeline, and any fees.

    A documented process tells a requester what to expect before they file.

No items have been checked yet. These fill in as each record is located and verified.