Voters in some Wisconsin school districts are facing big funding requests

Voters in some Wisconsin school districts are facing big funding requests in their ballots. State Department of Public Instruction data indicates at least 121 districts putting referendum questions before voters, including some with more than one on the same ballot. That’s the case in Madison Metropolitan Schools, requesting $100 million over four years for operations and a second referendum asking for facilities bonds totaling $507 million over 23 years. More than a dozen Milwaukee area districts have referendums. In the Arrowhead district, voters are being asked for $261 million for facilities and $7.6 million for operations. Voters in the Cudahy district are being asked for $12.4 million for facilities and $10.4 million for operational expenses. And voters in Green Bay Area Public Schools are being asked to approve a $183 million capital referendum to address safety and renovations.

Locally, the Ithaca School District is asking voters to approve an operational referendum in the amount of $1.3 million each year for its duration of four years. As its name implies, revenue received via an operational referendum is used to meet the costs associated with operating the district, which may include: attract and retain qualified teachers; Chromebooks for one to one instruction; access points to provide a reliable internet connection school-wide; additional safety operations; and a school bus, with the intention of returning to a bi-annual purchase rotation to minimize repair costs.

In addition: the Baraboo School District is seeking $85.7 million; the Iowa Grant District is seeking $1.2 million; The La Farge School District is seeking $900,000; the Wisconsin Dells District is seeking $4.5 million; and the Reedsburg District has two referendum questions totaling $30 million.