HARTLAND — A lawsuit filed just weeks before a crucial vote is intensifying the debate over Arrowhead Union High School District’s $136 million referendum.
The legal challenge, brought by a taxpayer group identified in the lawsuit as Arrowhead No, U.A., alleges the district misled voters about the project’s true cost and necessity.
John Marek, a taxpayer from Merton and a member of Arrowhead No, U.A., is among those fighting against the proposal. He voted against a similar $262 million referendum in November and believes the district is not being transparent.
“The ultimate goal, at this late date, would be to stop the referendum in its tracks,” Marek said. “Almost 60% of voters rejected the last proposal, yet the board is moving forward with another costly plan.”
The school board is now asking voters to approve $136.2 million on April 1 to consolidate the two Arrowhead High School buildings under one roof and improve safety.
“We exhausted all other means,” Marek said. “The school board and administration aren’t listening. We didn’t want to go this route, but they forced us here.”
Watch: Residents split over lawsuit seeking to block Arrowhead's $136M referendum
The lawsuit alleges the district tried to pass referenda through "misstatements, concealing of actual facts, trickery about the need for repairs to the buildings, and inaccurate and false statements about the true costs to the taxpayers.”
Filed March 18 in Waukesha County Circuit Court, the lawsuit claims the district “knowingly provided misleading financial details” about the current referendum, failing to disclose that the total cost, including interest, could exceed $230 million over the life of the bonds.
The lawsuit further alleges that the district's previous referendum proposal in November 2024 also misrepresented costs, with plaintiffs stating the actual total—when factoring in interest—would have been around $405 million.
Parents like Kristen Neuman believe the referendum is necessary to keep Arrowhead competitive and safe.
“Every project a school takes on requires loans, no different than a mortgage or car,” Neuman said. “You’re not told the total price including interest.”
Neuman, part of the pro-referendum group, Arrowhead Yes, says the legal battle distracts from the district’s pressing needs.
“This lawsuit just reinforces our commitment to finding and supporting a fiscally responsible solution for Arrowhead’s needs,” she said.
Read Arrowhead Yes’ full statement:
“A few in this community are focused on negativity and scare tactics. They have taken the stance that they will say no to everything the school proposes.
At yes for AHS we are focused on finding a fiscally responsible solution. The school is facing $143 million in maintenance over the next two decades to maintain two outdated buildings. With a focus on fiscal responsibility, we believe the $136 million referendum does two things. It creates financial efficiencies and a safer more secure and modern environment for students. We believe the choice for the community is clear.”
TMJ4 News reached out to Arrowhead’s superintendent for comment but did not receive a response.
School board president Kim Schubert shared this statement with TMJ4:
The process employed by Arrowhead for referendum development was both fiscally sound and transparent to the public. The Arrowhead School Board and Administration undertook a nearly two-year process of facilities assessment and financial review with resultant plans to address long-range facilities needs. Hearing a high level of interest from our community for consolidation of our campus into a single building, the initial proposal of new construction was brought to the public in a November referendum. When this initiative did not pass, a second approach for consolidation was proposed: a combination of renovation and new construction that also meets our needs of enhancing school safety, updating educational space and improving efficiencies. A unanimous decision of the Board brings this referendum to our community on the April 1 ballot.
Throughout this process, the School Board gave careful consideration to the costing analysis provided by Arrowhead's outstanding Director of Business Services and the financial assessments provided through our construction management firm. Following considerable deliberation and referendum adoption by the Board, referendum communication to our community has been frequent, comprehensive and transparent. The level of the detail of our information, as well as the manner in which it is conveyed to our community, aligns with - and might well exceed - the standard school referendum practices commonly employed by the hundreds of Wisconsin school districts that have recently undertaken referendums.
The School Board and Administration have performed the due diligence necessary in proposing and informing our community of these meaningful referendums.
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