Six Dane County school districts will ask taxpayers to pony up more money in November to fund new construction and pay for ongoing expenses, joining the dozens of others going to referendum across the state.
Wisconsin school boards had until Aug. 27 to vote to place a resolution on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Referendums authorize school districts to collect more property taxes than the state levy limit allows. In Wisconsin, referendums are the only way for districts to exceed the state-imposed revenue limits that control school spending.
Operational referendums typically pay for ongoing expenses, like staff salaries and curriculum, while capital or facilities referendums fund renovations or new construction.
About 52 school referendum questions statewide are set to appear on the November ballot, according to the Department of Public Instruction.
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Here are some details about the local referendums:
DeForest
Earlier this month, the School Board in DeForest voted to place a $7.9 million referendum on the ballot. That money would support educational programming, help retain staff with competitive salaries and maintain facilities.
The School Board already plans to pull an additional $3 million from its reserves in 2024-25 to cover expenses.
Madison
The School Board in June authorized a $507 million facilities referendum resolution that would fund the replacement and renovation of 10 schools.
A separate $100 million operating referendum also is up for approval. That amount would be phased in gradually over the next four years.
If the facilities referendum is approved, taxes on an average Madison home would increase by about $327 starting in 2025.
A successful operational referendum would increase taxes owed on the average Madison home by around $316 in 2024.
As the operational referendum is cumulative, Madison homeowners would owe an additional $1,376 in taxes every year starting in 2028.
Marshall
The Marshall School District will ask voters to approve a $5.625 million nonrecurring, operational referendum in November that would be phased in over three years beginning in 2025.
That money would help pay for staff salaries and for updated technology for schools.
Due to the current operational referendum and projected property values, the district is anticipating no change in the tax rate over the three years, District Administrator Dan Grady said.
A capital referendum put to voters in April failed by 53 votes.
McFarland
After a failed referendum in April, the district is now seeking $5.25 million in a recurring, operational referendum. The full amount would be phased in gradually over the next three school years.
The district has already committed to making $1.2 million in cuts, regardless of whether voters approve the referendum proposal. Those cuts include over $700,000 in teaching, administrative and support staff positions, $500,000 from department budgets and nearly $50,000 in administrator pay.
For each $400,000 of property value, the estimated tax increase in 2024-25 school year will be $404, according to District Administrator Aaron Tarnutzer.
Taxes will increase by an additional $428, for a total of $832, in 2025-26, and an by additional $415, for a total of $1,247, in 2026-27 and beyond.
Mount Horeb
The district is asking voters to approve a $34 million capital referendum to pay for additions and renovations at the primary center, demolition of the early learning center and other building improvements.
District spokesperson Aubree Hanks said the estimated tax impacts have not yet been prepared.
Sun Prairie
The Sun Prairie School District is asking voters to approve a $25 million recurring, operational referendum in November that would be phased in gradually over the next five years.
Of that amount, about $7 million would go toward keeping staff compensation and benefits above the Dane County average over the next five years. About $4 million would be spent on educational programming, like curriculum and maintaining class sizes.
The remaining $14 million would go toward ongoing budget expenses.
The average salary for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree in Dane County in the 2023-24 school year was $48,883 a year, according to district materials. With a successful referendum, the starting salary in Sun Prairie would increase by about $3,400, bringing it to $51,402 a year.
If voters approve the referendum, taxes would increase by about $144 per $100,000 of home value.
