Adams-Friendship Area School District

Finance Fridays

Welcome to Finance Fridays, an Adams-Friendship Area School District effort to increase transparency and understanding of district finances, funding and stewardship. If you have ideas for a future Finance Friday post or questions, please contact Nicki Ells, A-F Business Manager, at 608-339-3213 or email ells_n@afasd.net.

Thank you, Adams-Friendship Community!

Before we dig into all things budgets, we first want to take time to say, “THANK YOU.” For more than a century, this community has supported generations of Adams County students and staff. We are deeply grateful for your partnership and support.

Nearly 30 years ago, our community came together to build a new high school and later, invested $2.1M in district-wide school repairs and added a beautiful Fine Arts Center. Residents have supported operational referendums to maintain our educational services as state aid declined. In April 2025, even as community members disagreed on a proposal to build an addition to the high school to close the current middle school, they agreed on one thing: they want the best outcomes for AFASD students.

We know that for many families, finances are tight. We are committed to working with the community to find fiscally responsible solutions to ensure the AFASD is around for generations to come.

#WeAreAdamsFriendship

FINANCE FRIDAY POSTS:

To save residents from scrolling through content, we are using an expand/collapse tool. Simply click on post titles that interest you and it will open to show the information. Every week we are adding the newest post to the top, to make it easiest to find. Therefore, if you would rather read them in order, scroll to the bottom of this web page and work your way up.

PROPERTY VALUES: tax bills depend on property values (assessments) - how it works

Property value increases 2024 to 25: Village of Friendship 44%; Towns of Jackson 24; Preston 23; Monroe 22; Big Flats 20; New Chester 19; Colbum 17; Springville & Strongs Prairie 16; Lincoln 15; Richfield & Quincy 10; Easton 8; Adams 6; City of Adams 10.2

Chart showing the tax bases of A-F's 15 municipalities, with the highest being the Town of Quincy's $429,871,500 community-wide property value to the Village of Friendship's $52,866,400 tax base A-F's 2025 total property tax levy of $15,807,586 is distributed across the district's 15 communities, with shares ranging from $2,330,038 from the Town of Quincy to $286,117 from the Village of Friendship
Last week we shared that residents’ December tax bills will depend on their property values (assessments). Even though A-F reduced its tax rate by 42 cents from $5.84 to $5.42 per $1,000 of equalized property value, your school taxes may go up if:

Your community’s property values rose by a greater rate than other communities
Your home’s property value rose by a greater rate than other homes in your community

District-wide, A-F’s total property value rose 15.4%, with 2.5% coming from new construction. The vast majority came from higher assessed property values - as communities conduct revaluations to represent fair market values. Across our 15 communities, total community-wide property values increased from 6.2% in the Town of Adams to 43.6% in the Village of Friendship.

DID YOU KNOW? A-F’s total property value (tax base) has risen by more than $1 billion since 2022, from a total equalized value of $1.8 billion to $2.9 billion in 2025. That is in the top 22% of all Wisconsin districts (93rd out of 421). For many but not all households, property values are rising faster than household incomes, making us a “land-wealthy, income-poor” district.

NEXT WEEK: state revenue limits explained as a glass of soda and ice
#FinanceFridayAdamsFriendship #WeAreAdamsFriendship

TAX RATES: A-F's mill rate is down 42 cents - 2nd lowest in area and in bottom 21% in WI

2025-2026 property tax rates of area school districts. A-F's tax is 2nd lowest. Wautoma's rate: $5.20; A-F: $5.42; Westfield: $5.85; Necedah: $5.93; New Lisbon: $6.04; WI Dells: $6.11; WI Rapids: $6.54; Tri-County: $6.77; Mauston: $7.06; Poynette: $8.08

Did you know? The Adams-Friendship Area School District’s 2025-26 property tax rate is down 7.2% or 42 cents from $5.84 to $5.42 per $1,000 of equalized property value. That is the second lowest tax rate of nine area school districts (second only to Wautoma) and is in the bottom 21% of all Wisconsin districts. However, residents’ final tax bills will depend on their home values.

This week’s #FinanceFridayAdamsFriendship is an overview of the district’s adopted budget. Future weeks will dive deeper into these topics:

Budget cuts: A-F cut roughly $600,000 from its budget by scrutinizing every line item.

Spending: A-F’s total general fund spending increased only 1.75%, demonstrating fiscal stewardship amid increases in salaries, health insurance and transportation.

Revenue limits: the state gave districts permission to collect $325 more per pupil, but shifted that burden onto local taxpayers by freezing total state equalization aid.

State aid: A-F’s general state aid is down roughly 7.8% or more than $417,000, shifting additional burden to local taxpayers.

Property values: A-F is a “land-wealthy, income-poor” district in which property values are rising faster than household incomes. A-F’s total tax base rose 15.4%, nearly double the 8% statewide increase. That means if your home was reassessed and its value increased substantially, your taxes may go up even though A-F’s tax rate dropped 42 cents.

NEXT WEEK: property value changes in our 15 district municipalities
#WeAreAdamsFriendship