Wausau School Board to Conduct Voter Survey to Gauge Support for Operational Referendum

Wednesday, April 10th, 2024 -- 8:00 AM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) The Wausau School Board will conduct a voter survey this spring to gauge support for a potential operating referendum.

According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, Perry Hibner with The Donovan Group says the survey will help the board make an informed decision before putting time and effort into something that might not pass.

“You have to have a good feel for the pulse of your community, and a survey is one tool [that allows you] to do that,” said Hibner. “It’s a chance for you to gather data to make an informed decision and it’s a chance for you to inform your community about all the work you’ve been doing. It’s an opportunity to gauge the temperature.”

Board President Jim Bouche says this doesn’t mean a November referendum is certain. “We are saying yes to a survey, not a referendum. We are voting on getting the question out to our communities so the community can give us an answer to the question.”

Hibner noted that the group charges $5,000 for a community-based survey. Board members voted unanimously to move forward with the Donovan Group in charge of the proceedings.

The survey timeline calls for district leaders and The Donovan Group to spend the next few weeks refining the questions. The survey will go live from May 6th to 19th, and results will be presented to the board in June.

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