,

4 School Districts Going To Referendum On Tuesday Ballot

Districts Seeking Additional Funding For Operational Expenses, Building Projects

By
Teacher and children in classroom
Toby Talbot/AP Photo

Four school districts across the state are asking local taxpayers for more money during to cover building projects and operational expenses.

The Dover, Genoa City, Stockbridge and Waterford school districts in southeastern Wisconsin have referendum questions on Tuesday’s ballot. The questions range from permanent increases of $250,000 per year to a one-time $12 million boost for a high school addition.

Chad Marx, the Stockbridge School principal, said they’re seeking a permanent increase, called a recurring resolution, of $250,000 per year for their single-school, rural district to avoid losing faculty.

Stay informed on the latest news

Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“Since Act 10 in 2011, we’ve reduced our teaching staff and combined positions. We’ve reduced our teaching staff by about 20 percent,” Marx said.

Earlier this month, Gov. Scott Walker introduced his 2017-2019 state budget proposal, which offers $649 million in additional state aid to schools. Despite that, Marx said the referendum is still needed because it’s unclear if Walker’s plan will be approved by the state Legislature.

Genoa City Joint 2 School District Superintendent Kelly Bohn said they’re seeking $6 million to replace an aging building and an annual boost of $250,000 for operations.

“Really, to continue to meet our current needs and certainly to expand any programming for our kids, we need to have that operational referendum,” Bohn said.

The Waterford UHS School District is asking voters to approve a $12.2 million field house and fitness center addition to the high school. The Dover #1 School District in Kansasville is seeking $4.2 million for a renovation and addition to the Kansasville Grade School.

A majority of February referendum questions have been approved by voters since 2010.