More Than 100 School Districts Across Wisconsin Asking Voters to Approve School Referendums on November 5th

Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024 -- 8:00 AM

(Corrinne Hess, Wisconsin Public Radio) Voters in more than 100 school districts across Wisconsin will be asked to approve school referendums on Nov. 5, with educators saying the state Legislature is not adequately funding public education. 

According to Corrinne Hess with the Wisconsin Public Radio, this will be the third election cycle this year with large numbers of districts asking taxpayers to approve increased funding for schools, totaling about $6 billion across the state.

At least 192 of the state’s 421 school districts have asked, or will ask, a referendum question in 2024. The November ballot includes 139 total referenda with 58 questions related to debt and 81 seeking recurring and non-recurring operating funds.

Approval for February and April referendums was only 60 percent, the lowest ever, indicating voter fatigue appears to have set in. School districts are funded by a mix of taxpayer dollars, state aid and federal aid.

The 2023-25 state budget included an annual funding increase for public schools of $325 per student to the state-imposed limit on revenues districts can receive in school aids and local property taxes combined. 

While this provides some relief, school districts say it didn’t catch them up from a freeze in state revenue caps in the previous two-year budget, or the declining enrollment many public school districts are experiencing.

Wisconsin ended its 2024 fiscal year in June with a $4.6 billion state budget surplus. The state’s “rainy day” fund hit a record-high of $1.9 billion. State Superintendent Jill Underly is calling on Legislators to use a portion of the surplus to fund public education.

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