Forty-nine school districts across Wisconsin posted a total of 59 referendum questions on Tuesday's ballot.
In all, they're seeking a staggering total of $1,193,321,500 in new taxes.
After checking, double-checking and crunching all the numbers from the Department of Public Instruction database, the biggest ask statewide is Sun Prairie, near Madison.
School leaders want to build a new high school and are asking for $164 million.
In our area, local schools want more than $300 million in new taxes.
In Fond du Lac, officials are seeking $100 million for capital maintenance and improvement projects.
In Shorewood, leaders would like $65 million for security upgrades and other renovations across the district.
West Bend officials are seeking $47 million for a new elementary school and major upgrades at the high schools.
Kettle Moraine School District is asking voters to overspend revenue limits by nearly $6 million a year into 2024 at a cost of nearly $30 million.
Voters there just five years ago approved a referendum of nearly $50 million for district-wide improvements.
Seeking millions in new school taxes is not an aberration — it is a continuing trend. Just five months ago, Wisconsin voters approved nearly $1.4 billion in school referendums in the fall election.
