KENOSHA, Wis. — Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD) officials are preparing for budget cuts after voters rejected a $115 million school referendum in Tuesday’s election.
More than half of voters said no to the measure, leaving the district with a $19 million budget deficit heading into the 2025-26 school year.
The referendum would have raised $23 million per year for the next five years. Without it, district officials said they will have to make difficult financial decisions.
“We need to review our class sizes, look at how we can adjust staffing, the courses that we offer, and some of the pay for our staff as well,” KUSD Superintendent Weiss said. “It’s something that we need to look at, potentially a pay freeze, or something along those lines.”
Some voters cited concerns over higher taxes and financial transparency as reasons for voting against the referendum.
Watch: $115M school referendum fails, now Kenosha schools face cuts
“I have six kids, I have three in Kenosha Unified, and the fact that they’re there means I support public education,” Andreas Mamalakis said. “But the public and I want the bang for the buck. No one wants wasteful spending.”
Others questioned whether KUSD could have reallocated existing funds rather than asking taxpayers for more.
“There’s definitely a lack of transparency... there is no one more specially qualified to speak on the referendum than a taxpayer,” Caleb Laitinen said. “The money is there, we can make the schools safer, we can get the programs, the fine arts, the sports that these kids need. We just need to locate that money and get it where it’s supposed to go.”
Now, district officials must decide what gets cut and what programs and services will be affected.
“We talked about the academy at Indian Trail, as well as the offerings that we have for some of those classes that have low enrollment. We’ll also be postponing our security improvements, the controlled entrance work,” said Weiss.
Despite the financial challenges, KUSD says its mission remains unchanged.
“But our commitment to our students and to our families to provide a safe learning environment and to provide as many educational opportunities as we can, that hasn’t changed,” Weiss added.
For now, KUSD urges parents, teachers, and community members to stay engaged as the district determines its next steps.
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