Source: Jimmie Kaska | Civic Media
Feb 17, 2025, 3:13 PM CST
MAUSTON, Wis. (Civic Media) – After a record-setting year in Wisconsin for school referendums – 241 total ballot measures across the four elections in 2024 – there are a handful of items on ballots for the Spring Primary on Feb. 18.
Five of the total of 94 school referendum questions for this year will be up for a vote on Tuesday across the state.
Recent trends in how voters view school spending, rising property taxes, and political stances on public versus private school education are pushing down success rates of referendums in general and making the success or failure of each ballot measure subject to a handful of votes. Last fall, of 138 referendums on the ballot, 53 of them were decided by fewer than 200 votes.
This year brings potential changes to the referendum system in Wisconsin. Republicans have introduced proposed legislation that would curb school referendums in an effort to protect property taxpayers from levy limit increases.
However, school boards and administrators around the state are still going to referendum at a high rate as inflation, declining enrollment, and crumbling facilities, coupled with high turnover and a political preference in Wisconsin to divert taxpayer money into private schools away from public school districts are putting pressure on local school districts to balance their budgets.
Over 90% of districts in Wisconsin have had at least one referendum since the revenue limit system was put in place three decades ago. 245 of the state’s 421 districts have passed a referendum in the past four years.
Here’s a look at the five school districts going to referendum in the Spring Primary in 2025 in Wisconsin:
Shall the Kenosha School District No. 1, Kenosha County, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $23,000,000 per year beginning with the 2025-2026 school year and ending with the 2029-2030 school year, for non-recurring purposes consisting of operational expenses and debt service for safety and security improvements? Referendum for Kenosha School District voters as it will appear on the primary ballot.
The Kenosha School District is seeking a non-recurring operational referendum to help pay for staff and programming. The District is looking at a five-year plan at $23 million per year after closing schools and cutting staff to help solve a $19 million budget deficit, for a grand total of $115 million over five years.
According to its referendum page, the district would use the funds for security updates, fund state-mandated programs such as Act 20 that went unfunded by the state legislature, retain and recruit staff, and keep class sizes small.
The district says if the referendum fails, they will have to continue closing schools and cutting staff, cut benefits, and eliminate some AP courses.
Kenosha’s referendum page includes a tax impact calculator, dozens of questions in its FAQ section, and presentations on the referendum and school funding.
Shall the Waterford Union High School District, Racine and Waukesha Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $24,900,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of a district-wide school facility improvement project consisting of: renovating the Maple View building; remodeling spaces for art and technical education; upgrading infrastructure, safety and building systems and addressing ADA accessibility; making site improvements; and acquiring furnishings, fixtures and equipment? Referendum for Waterford Union School District voters as it will appear on the primary ballot.
The Waterford Union High School District is asking voters for a $24.9 million referendum for facility updates. The money is being used for building improvements only.
In its referendum information, the district said it chose the earlier referendum date to lock in contractors and get work done in time for the 2025-26 school year.
District officials tout fiscal responsibility in paying off its previous debts years ahead of time, meaning that there will be no tax impact in the district as its previous borrowing comes off of the books after this school year.
Shall the Northland Pines School District be authorized to exceed state revenue limits by $5,600,000 each year for a period of three years on a non-recurring basis for each of the 2025-26, 2026-27, and 2027-28 school years, in order to maintain School District programs and operations? Referendum for Northland Pines School District voters as it will appear on the primary ballot.
Like many smaller school districts in the state, Northland Pines is seeking an operational referendum to help pay for staff and continue some of its offerings. The district is seeking a 3-year non-recurring plan at $5.6 million per year for a total of $16.8 million.
Included in the price tag are security updates, such as adding school resource officers and camera updates.
Northland Pines notes that it has passed a 3-year operational referendum nearly every 3 years since 2002, with two years being covered by what district officials tout as good fiscal management. The two most recent 3-year referendums cost $4.6 million per year.
The district is vague about what happens if an eighth-straight 3-year non-recurring referendum fails, stating only that they would have a $7 million budget shortfall each of the next three years. The district says in its FAQ document that “Everything would be on the table and some very difficult decisions would need to be made regarding programs and staffing.”
Shall the School District of Tomahawk, Lincoln and Oneida Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $3,250,000 per year beginning with the 2025-2026 school year and ending with the 2028-2029 school year, for non-recurring purposes, including expenses to maintain current educational programming and ongoing facility maintenance needs? Referendum for Tomahawk School District voters as it will appear on the primary ballot.
Tomahawk’s operational referendum is very similar to Northland Pines: It seeks to extend a current non-recurring referendum for another 4 years at a total cost of $13 million.
The district said the money would help continue current staffing and course offerings, as well as complete safety projects.
Like other districts, Tomahawk officials said in its FAQ that a failed referendum would lead to budget cuts, affecting staff, as well as deferring maintenance. The district added it would have to consider raising fees and eliminating extracurricular activities to balance the budget.
Shall the School District of Mauston, Juneau County, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $1,750,000 per year for four years, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year and ending with the 2028-2029 school year, for non-recurring purposes consisting of operational expenses? Referendum for Mauston School District voters as it will appear on the primary ballot.
Mauston’s 4-year, $7 million plan comes after two referendums failed in 2024, putting the district in a tight spot financially. Facing potential dissolution, district voters shot down a referendum last April, with only 38.2% voting yes. Last November, 49.4% of voters in the district supported the ballot measure, but that meant it still failed.
District officials said that without the additional referendum funds, the district will not be able to operate past the 2026-27 school year.
In preparation for a potential failed referendum, the district has already approved cuts to some of its athletics and club offerings, summer school, virtual programming, field trips, and the school musical. If the referendum passes, the district said it can keep some of those things in the budget.
The drastic measure of dissolution is a costly and slow process that leads to public school students being reassigned to neighboring districts. It’s expected that property taxes for the district dissolving would increase as neighboring school districts need to change facilities and transportation plans to accommodate the additional students and levy its new tax base for those costs.
One common thread among the five school referendums on the ballot Tuesday: All advocate for change to the current school aid formula, which has left public schools behind inflation, prompting referendums at nearly every district in Wisconsin.
There are no municipal referendums on the ballot this February.
The Spring Primary is on Tuesday, Feb. 18 from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. For more on who represents you, what district you are in, what is on your ballot, and your voter registration information, you can visit MyVote Wisconsin.
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