Like the majority of Wisconsin school districts, our District is seeking operational referendum funding to sustain essential educational programming and daily operations. Rather than relying on short-term fixes, waiting for costly emergencies, or depleting our fund balance, this proposal establishes proactive, long-term plans for transportation, curriculum, and ongoing maintenance.

If approved, the $1.4 million per year will directly fund:

A well-maintained district yields real returns for local taxpayers:

• Future-Ready Students: We need to prepare every student for their future, not our past. Today’s graduates are entering a workforce that may look very different from the one their parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles entered.

• Protecting Tax Dollars: Establishing a dedicated long-term maintenance strategy prevents far more expensive emergency repairs down the line, ensuring tax dollars are spent with maximum accountability.
  

If approved, the tax rate impact for the school district would be 89 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.

The District’s current school tax rate is $5.85 per $1,000 — well below the Wisconsin K-12 state average of $7.09. Even with the proposed operational adjustment, the tax rate is estimated to rise to $6.74, remaining lower than the state average.

Because state aid formulas penalize property-rich rural districts, our district is projected to lose an additional $540,275 in general state aid next school year (a 14.07% drop).

Currently, local taxpayers provide 71.2% of district revenue while state aid provides only 28.8%. Approving local operational funding allows our community to exert local control — ensuring our tax dollars remain right here in our communities to directly benefit our students, facilities, and local economy.

We are proud of our 170-year tradition of providing community-centered education since our first school opened in 1856, growing to serve 22 municipalities across 288 square miles.

Under Wisconsin law, capital referendum funds (brick-and-mortar) cannot legally be used for daily operational expenses, bus fuel, teacher salaries, or learning supplies. Over the past three decades, state funding rules forced school districts statewide to manage these two needs separately: