MILWAUKEE — On April 4, voters across Wisconsin are likely to see school referendums on their ballots. Across the state, there are 82, and in Southeast Wisconsin, there are 24.
A majority of the school referendums on the spring ballot are operating referendums, according to Dan Rossmiller with the Wisconsin Association of School Boards. That money, if passed, is used to fund day-to-day costs.
"School costs are going up. They're having difficulty staffing the school, finding enough teachers, custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, classroom aides, you name it," Rossmiller said.
He said those operating referendums usually come about when districts feel like revenue limits aren't enough to cover costs. Revenue limits refer to the amount of funding districts get from the state.
"Unfortunately in six out of the last eight school years or three of the four last state budgets, there's been no adjustment for inflation in those revenue limits," Rossmiller said.
Rossmiller said school districts have been pressed for money because of a lack of increases. That's why more and more districts have been turning to referendums and property tax money to fund school operations.
"We'd like to see that state provide more money so we won't have to go to the property taxpayers to keep that going and to keep their programs and staff in place," Rossmiller said.
People who live in districts like Shorewood, Waterloo, and Burlington will see those operating referendums when they vote next month.
There's also another type of school referendum you might see on your ballot this spring. Those are capital project referendums that are typically used for major building projects, like new school buildings or updating old infrastructure. Capital projects aren't necessarily related to revenue limits.
The Hustisford School District has that type of referendum on the ballot.
"We found out that both buildings were in some serious need of repairs," Hustisford District Administrator Heather Cramer said. "We decided that a K-12 facility would best suit our needs as a district."
In addition to the consolidation, that district is looking to enhance building security and building systems like HVAC and plumbing.
If passed, Cramer said it will also enhance learning experiences like in the classroom.
"There are things that just don't work, that aren't able to be used because they're out of date or obsolete. Creating new science labs is going to be huge for our students," Cramer said.
You can find out more about the Hustisford School District referendum by visiting the school's website.
To learn more about what will be on your ballot, head to myvote.wi.gov.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.