Tomah School Board Approves Referendum for the Spring Ballot

Thursday, December 22nd, 2022 -- 8:01 AM

At their December 19th Regular Board of Education meeting, Tomah Area School District Board of Education members discussed and approved an amount of $2.5 million for four years for a non-recurring operational referendum.

These extra monies will be used to maintain and enhance educational and technology programs, school safety and security, and school facilities, and to maintain current levels of operational expenses.

The next step for the Board of Education is to hold a Special Board meeting on Monday, January 2, 2023, to approve the two resolutions for the Operational Referendum. The first resolution will be to authorize the TASD budget to exceed the revenue limit by $2,500,000 per year for four years for non-recurring purposes. The second resolution will be to approve the referendum ballot question for the April 4, 2023, election.

The Board of Education spent the past several months reviewing fiscal data and five-year budget projection models that indicated budget shortfalls due to no increase per pupil in state aid for students the past two years, ongoing uncertainty regarding the legislative funding of Wisconsin schools in the future, and the need to hire and retain quality staff members.

Fiscal forecasts indicate the continued increase in Equalization Aid as a percentage of the revenue limit, which will have a neutral effect on the tax levy. The data sets and school funding presentations used by the Board for discussion are available on our TASD website.

A community informational program focused on the Operational Referendum will be implemented by the Board of Education January 2023 through March 2023. This will include in person meetings throughout our communities, print publications, and electronic media. A four year non-recurring operational referendum is an investment in our children and future.

This would continue the District’s long standing commitment to strong stewardship of taxpayer dollars and strategic fiscal planning ensuring our District offers ongoing educational programs and operational services providing Tomah Area School District students high quality student learning, every child, every day.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.