Wisconsin Public School Districts Asking for Over $1.9 Billion in Borrowing and Spending Authority

Tuesday, August 30th, 2022 -- 2:00 PM

(By Rich Kremer, Wisconsin Public Radio) At least 50 Wisconsin school districts will ask voters to approve tax hikes this fall, with districts seeking a record $1.9 billion in borrowing and spending authority in referendum questions on ballots around the state Nov. 8.

According to Rich Kremer of Wisconsin Public Radio, districts still have time to finalize additional ballot questions, but as of Friday there were 70 separate referendum questions from 50 school districts across the state going to voters.

Around half of the questions seek borrowing authority for new buildings or maintenance projects. The rest ask for approval to exceed state revenue limits on temporary or ongoing basis to pay for education, operations or staffing. All told, the referendum questions seek $1.93 billion.

Wisconsin Policy Forum Ari Brown told Wisconsin Public Radio the next highest total requested by schools was $1.77 billion in the April 7, 2020 election cycle, which included a $1.3 billion, 30-year referendum pitched by the Racine Unified School District that passed by five votes.

This fall, the School District of La Crosse tops the list with the biggest ask this cycle, with a $194.7 million borrowing authority request for construction of a consolidated high school and renovations to other school buildings.

Dan Rossmiller, government relations director for the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, said districts are turning to voters because Republican state lawmakers froze district spending by not adjusting revenue limits.

Therefore, he said even though lawmakers increased general school aids by $706 million in the current state budget, money had to go toward lowering property taxes. 

"And so for most districts, that means that their budgets are frozen," said Rossmiller. "And with inflation and competition from the private sector driving up wages and salaries, school districts are hard-pressed to meet the demands that they need to attract and retain staff, including teachers, and pay their other expenses, which are going up with this frozen budget."

Wisconsin schools received a total of nearly $2.4 billion in federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funds that must be spent by 2024. A May report from the Policy Forum found the bulk of that has been spent on educational technology, COVID-19 response and addressing long-term school closures during the pandemic.

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