Dozens of Wisconsin schools again turn to referendums to fund operations and construction projects – Yahoo

Once again, school districts across the country will go to a referendum this spring, looking for additional money from voters to help pay daily operating costs and construction projects to improve district facilities.

86 districts will raise 94 questions about voters’ referendum. Several are scheduled for the primary, but voters will see the majority in voting on the general elections from April 1, according to data from the State Department of Public Training.

Although not as many as last spring, this issue is still higher than spring 2023 and continues the tendency of areas that turn to taxpayers for more money than they could otherwise collect under restrictions of state revenue.

Last spring, there were 103 newsletter referendums across the country; In 2023 this issue was 83.

In the fall of 2024, there were 140 school referendums for newsletters across the country during the first elections for the first and November in August.

According to state legislation, the regions should have been laid on referendums on the April vote by the end of January.

More schools will referendum and pass a greater percentage

Almost 78% of the referendums in the fall 2024 passed, which was higher than in the spring of 2024, when 60.2% of the school referendums passed throughout the country, according to the Wisconsin Policy Forum.

In the spring of 2023 there were 83 referendums. Of these 83 referendums, 46 of them, about 55%, have passed, according to the Wisconsin referendum database.

What can the referendums pay for?

The school districts are pursuing either operating or capital referendums.

Operational referendums fund daily operations for an area, such as paying and benefits. The districts can make a referendum “do not repeat” by determining a certain number of years so that this extra money can be collected by taxpayers. Or they can make a referendum “repetitive” without the end date, which means that the area would raise this additional money from taxpayers indefinitely.

Funding projects for capital referendums, such as building a new school or renovation of this school. The areas will often take loans that have been paying for many years to finance these projects. Their referendum authorizes to do so and repay this loan.

Why have more school districts have gone to a referendum in recent years?

Factors such as state -imposed revenue restrictions that limit how much money school districts can get through ownership and state aid taxes, increasing inflation, reduction of enrollment and aging facilities put school areas in difficult financial positions.

According to the Wisconsin Policy Forum, the inflation rate has exceeded the increase in state revenue limits.

“Inflation and strict labor market nourish the increasing competition to teach talents in many parts of the country, increasing the pressure on salary areas,” the group said in its November 2024 report on school referendums.

Federal aid for pandemic relief also disappeared in 2024, which was also a factor in putting pressure on the regional budgets, according to the group.

“For example, some areas relied on temporary federal assistance to cover operating costs under the conditions of the state of frozen revenue from the state. Other areas have added employees or programs to deal with pandemic problems and now they need to consider whether to maintain these additions,” the policy of Wiscons’ policy, forum said.

Here are some school districts in the Appleton, Green Bay and Milwaukee regions are planning referendums.

What Appleton Appleton School Distances have referendums for this April newsletter?

• Shiocton School District: Two questions are on the newsletter. One is looking for $ 23.5 million to make improvements to infrastructure and site, build new offices for elementary and high school /high school schools. The district also has a $ 9.1 million -dollar referendum on the newsletter to finance a new fitness supplement, including storage space.

What Green Bay School schools have referendums for this April newsletter?

Green Bay’s school areas with referendums in April are:

• West de pere school district: The area has a referendum of facilities of $ 9.925 million on the newsletter to build an addition to the technical education space, renovation and improvements to the West de Pere High School, as well as to improve the West de pere infrastructure.

What Milwaukee Schools have referendums for this April newsletter?

The school areas of the Milwauki area with referendums in April are:

• Arrowhead: The area will ask the voters for $ 136.2 million to consolidate Arrowhead High School in one building, repairing and expanding the northern campus of the school and destroying the southern campus of the school. The Capital November 2024 referendum failed; He asked for $ 261.2 million to build a new school to replace both existing campuses.

• Lake Country: The area is looking for $ 800,000 a year for five years, a total of $ 4 million, in an indecision operating referendum, to help the area balance its budget and restore its reserves to maintain academic programming, staff and resources.

• Port Washington-Suquil: The area wants $ 59.4 million for the construction of a new elementary school in Saquil and the related acquisition of land and improvements to the site, and the demolition of the existing Saquil Primary School building; Renovation, maintenance of capital, construction infrastructure, safety, security and/or improvements of the site in primary schools in Dunvidi and Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson high school and Port Washington High School.

Where is the biggest question for the newsletter referendum this February or April?

The area with the largest issue for a newsletter referendum this spring is the school neighborhood of the Oshkosh area, which is looking for $ 197.8 million for facilities of the April Bulletin. If approved, the referendum will finance the destruction of Jacob Shapiro Primary School and the construction of a new high school on this site; repairs and additions to the elementary schools of Karl Trager, Franklin and Oakud; The addition of a high school advantage center in Perry Tsaler; The construction and renovation of the Northern High School audience and the addition of an air conditioner for reading, elementary schools of Emelin Cook and Lyekside.

The Racine School Quarter has the second largest referendum this spring to look for $ 190 million in a non -re -operative referendum. Additional money would help to protect the size of classes and important programs, attract and retain high quality teachers and staff and invest in school safety and security, according to the area.

The United School Quarter in Kenosha has $ 115 million, which is not a repetitive operational referendum on the vote on February 18th. If approved, funds would reduce the structural deficit of the area to protect the size of the classes, programming and staff positions; Help the area improve reading and mathematics results, apply mandate state programs such as the science of Act 20 to read to enrich the instructions for reading and enhancing students’ skills; Save high quality staff and apply safety and security.

Contact Alec Johnson on (262) 875-9469 or [email protected]. Follow it on Twitter in @Alecjohnson12S

This article originally appeared on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Over 90 school referendums that will be on bulletins this February, April