Mid-State Technical College’s Board of Directors adopted its 2020–21 budget following a public hearing during its June 15 meeting in Wisconsin Rapids. The annual budget goes into effect on July 1, 2020.

The new General Fund Operations budget is $30.4 million, a $1,259,000 decrease from the amended 2019–20 Fiscal Year budget. The operational budget was prepared with the assumption of comparable enrollments to 2019–20. 

As in years past, College administrators set out to develop a budget that balances the needs of its students and communities with available budgetary resources. The higher education industry continues to undergo rapid change, and Mid-State has aggressively sought to address that change through its Strategic Directions and 2020 Vision, key drivers throughout the budget development process.

“At Mid-State our mission to transform lives through education drives everything we do and is the key to how we continue to meet the always-changing needs of our local stakeholders,” said Mid-State President Dr. Shelly Mondeik. “This budget enables us to develop the right programs and services to deliver on our mission and continue to support students with responsive services and a caring learning environment they can thrive in.”

According to Mid-State Vice President of Finance and Facilities Robb Fish, the College’s mill rate is projected to increase 5 cents per $1,000 of equalized property value, increasing the tax bill for a $100,000 home from $93.70 last year to a projected $98.63 in the coming year. Mid-State poses a considerably lower impact than other taxing authorities because the College serves a broad tax base of 97 municipalities in all or parts of Adams, Clark, Jackson, Juneau, Marathon, Portage, Waushara and Wood counties. 
 
"This budget funds Mid-State’s ongoing work to support its communities with innovative programs and access to world-class technology, facilities and services," said Fish. “The demand for skilled professionals in central Wisconsin remains high, and we look forward to meeting that need with our highly sought-after graduates.”