District overview
North Lake School District
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
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How is North Lake School District paid for?
North Lake School District is a K-8 district with one school (4K through grade 8) serving the Town of Merton and the Village of Chenequa in Waukesha County. Wisconsin limits how much a district can raise, and the limit follows enrollment. North Lake also gets payments for students who live elsewhere and attend through open enrollment, and voters approved an operating referendum in April 2024 that adds $850,000 a year for four years. A five-member board elected at large hires the superintendent, Dr. Liesl Ackley, who also serves as principal. High school students go to Arrowhead Union High School.
Property tax
The 2026-27 levy is estimated at $3,536,455, up 1.97% from $3,468,037. The tax rate would be $4.25 per $1,000 of value, so a $400,000 home pays about $1,701.
Open enrollment
Payments from other Wisconsin districts are budgeted at $1,653,278 of $5,851,414 in 2026-27 income, about 28%.
Referendum
Voters passed an operating referendum on April 2, 2024 adding $850,000 a year for four years. The 2026-27 revenue limit worksheet lists $850,000 as a non-recurring exemption.
Reserves
The general fund balance was $1,615,250 at the end of 2024-25 and is projected at $2,474,653 at the end of 2026-27.
None of this means the district is poorly run. Its state report card exceeds expectations, according to the November 2025 minutes. This page does not show per-student spending or what happens when the referendum ends.
Where the district stands
Budgeted general fund spending of $5,711,981 divided by 232 students. It excludes special education, food service and other funds, and is a calculation rather than a reported figure.
Major projects
2026-27 budget and tax levy
final approval on the October 21, 2026 agendaThe board approved a first draft of the 2026-27 budget in June. Electors at the September 16 annual meeting were asked to approve the levy, fees and borrowing authority. The October 21 agenda lists final approval of the budget and levy.
- Board approves first draft of the budget
- Budget hearing and annual meeting
- Final budget and levy approval on the agenda
Funding
Local property tax levy (estimated)
School security and technology upgrades
approved; under wayThe board approved an upgraded school security system with a new onsite server and added cameras in July 2026. The district moved from in-house IT to a managed IT service, added fire-alarm monitoring and is weighing replacement of the front doors (quotes of $38,000 to $41,000).
- Managed IT contract approved; fire monitoring quote of about $3,900 reviewed
- Upgraded school security approved
- Front door quotes reviewed; board leans toward replacing door hardware only
Funding
General fund; amounts for the security system were not stated in the minutes
Arrowhead open enrollment and consolidation question
unresolvedThe board fears Arrowhead Union High School may end open enrollment to push K-12 consolidation. In September an Arrowhead board member said no formal action had been taken.
- Arrowhead board member briefs the board
- Board discusses Arrowhead facilities workshop
- Arrowhead reports no formal action
Funding
Open enrollment payments are about 28% of general income
Recent news
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Practical guides to school phone policies, district budgets, and administrator hiring.
Explore resources →Built from the board's agendas, signed minutes and the 2026 annual report on the district website, covering November 2025 through October 2026, plus the district's referendum and handbook pages. Minutes were read from scanned PDFs with text recognition.
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