Finance & Operations

FY 2023-24 & FY 2024-25 Cost Containment Information

FY 2022-23 Cost Containment 

The District's fiscal year 2022 audit was conducted by the firm of Malloy, Montague, Karnowski, Radosevich & Co., P.A. The results of that audit were presented to the School Board at the December 12, 2022 regular meeting. The following reports were shared with the School Board:

• Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR)
• Management Report
• Special Purpose Audit Reports

The District has been awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Association of School Business Officials International for 38 consecutive years. This award signifies the District's commitment to financial accountability and transparency and is only received by a small number of Minnesota school districts. A good source of information is the Management Discussion and Analysis section beginning on page four of the 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (see below).

Accounts Payable

• The accounts payable staff is responsible for payments for goods and services purchased by the district. Accounts payable can be reached at accountspayable@wayzataschools.org.

Payroll 

• Payroll staff are responsible for providing comprehensive and timely payroll services to approximately 1,800 district staff. For employment or income verifications, please contact Amy Fee at 763-745-5073 or payroll@wayzataschools.org. For all other payroll related inquiries, district staff can access the Staff Intranet for documents and information.

Purchasing 

• Purchasing staff are responsible for purchasing goods or services for the district and its schools. Their objective is to obtain the best possible value at the lowest price. State law requires large dollar amount purchases to be made through an open bidding process, which is also managed by the purchasing department.  The Purchasing team can be reached at purchasing@wayzataschools.org.

Transportation 

• The Transportation Department is responsible for getting students to and from school safely each day. This includes coordinating bus routes throughout the district, teaching bus safety to students, and contracting with First Student Transportation Services (regular education students) and Mainline Transportation, Inc. (special education students).  The Transportation team can be reached at transportation@wayzataschools.org. 

Wayzata Cafés

• Wayzata Cafés serves more than 7,000 meals each day. Each healthy menu items i planned an dprepared to nourish a student's body and mind. Get more information on the Wayzata Cafés webpage. 

Welcome Center

• Enrollment: Residents living in the Wayzata Public Schools district can register online or visit the Welcome Center, located at 295 Highway 55, Medina, MN.  Contact welcome@wayzataschools.org with any questions. 
• Student Accounting:  The state of Minnesota requires the district to report student enrollment in great detail. This includes the number of hours each student is enrolled, as well as information about ethnicity, home language spoken, disabilities and much more. Much of this information is required in order to calculate the amount of state aid the district is entitled to under various state programs.

Please visit the Welcome Center for current resources and annual forms.

The financing of elementary and secondary education in Minnesota is through a combination of state collected taxes (primarily income and sales) and locally collected property taxes. Revenue to school districts is received in three major categories. For more information, please read Financing Education in Minnesota, produced by the Minnesota House of Representatives Fiscal Analysis Department. The Minnesota School Finance: A Guide for Legislators explains how public elementary and secondary schools are funded in Minnesota.

Other helpful resources: 

• School Finance in Minnesota (video published by MASBO)
• Special Education Funding in Minnesota (video published by MASBO)