Dear Lyndon Station and Mauston communities,
According to the election results, the referendum fell short of being approved by a majority of voters in the School District of Mauston.
As a result, district leaders and the School Board will need to make some difficult decisions as we look to balance our budget for the next school year. We will continue to experience financial challenges due to an outdated and inequitable state school funding formula, inadequate funding increases from the state, and increasing expenses.
While the solution presented was not the right fit at this time, we remain incredibly appreciative for the engagement of our community throughout this process. This is a community that truly cares about its local schools and the students we serve.
We look forward to your continued engagement as we move ahead. In the meantime, thank you for your consideration of the referendum question on the April 2 ballot.
Sincerely,
Joel Heesch Superintendent
Municipalities |
Yes |
No |
Germantown |
18 |
48 |
Kildare |
51 |
137 |
Lemonweir |
133 |
211 |
Lindina |
62 |
153 |
Lisbon |
35 |
62 |
Lyndon Township |
21 |
64 |
V. of Lyndon Station |
41 |
49 |
Marion |
30 |
76 |
Mauston (City) |
370 |
378 |
Plymouth |
0 |
0 |
Seven Mile Creek |
11 |
52 |
Summit |
13 |
35 |
Total |
785 |
1265 |
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The School District of Mauston is a big point of pride in our community. The district has served students and families well over the years, and we work hard to ensure we are meeting each learner’s academic, social-emotional, and college and career-ready needs.
At the same time, the district faces significant financial challenges that are out of our control and largely tied to the state’s school funding formula, a lack of state aid to public schools in recent years, and rapidly rising costs.
To address these challenges, the Mauston Board of Education has placed an operational referendum question on the ballot for Tuesday, April 2, 2024. If voters approve the referendum, the district will be able to exceed its state-imposed revenue limit by $2.25 million per year over the next four years.
OUR NEEDS
Wisconsin schools operate under a state-imposed revenue limit that restricts the amount of money they can receive in state aid and property taxes. As a result, the School District of Mauston does not receive enough revenue to adequately fund district programs.
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A district's revenue limit is the maximum amount of revenue that may be raised through state general aid and local property tax. The district does not control the amount of aid it receives from the state of Wisconsin.
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The needs of our students have increased dramatically, especially in the areas of special education and mental health. These are expenses for state and federal mandated services for which the district receives inadequate funding.
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Costs for things like technology, running contracted buses, and heating our schools continue to rise, as do other expenses that are out of the district’s control.
Like many school districts across the state, we must engage our community to ensure our students continue to have access to exceptional educational opportunities throughout our schools.
PROPOSED SOLUTION
On April 2, 2024, our community will vote on a proposed solution to these financial challenges. The operational referendum question on the ballot asks voters’ permission for the district to exceed its state-imposed revenue limit by $2.25 million per year over the next four years.
With an approved referendum, we will prioritize the following:
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Avoiding additional cuts in staffing and student programs
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Maintaining small class sizes and our current level of instruction
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Providing a full range of academic programming
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Retaining our experienced staff
The property tax impact of an approved referendum would be 95 cents per every $1,000 of assessed property value. The owner of a home assessed at $100,000, for example, would see a property tax impact of $95 per year.
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Like many Wisconsin school districts, the School District of Mauston faces significant financial challenges that are largely the result of three factors:
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An outdated and inequitable school funding formula at the state level
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Inadequate funding increases from the state in recent years
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Increasing expenses and inflation
In Wisconsin, a state-imposed revenue limit restricts the amount of money school districts can receive through state aid and local property taxes. The funding formula used to calculate the limit was created more than 30 years ago and is outdated. As a result, the School District of Mauston and many districts statewide do not receive adequate levels of funding for student programs and services.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction does not expect the state’s funding formula to change anytime in the near future.
Furthermore, the most recent state budget did not fill the gap created by the funding freeze the state legislature implemented in the budget before that. In other words, it did not do enough to address the School District of Mauston’s financial needs.
In addition, expenses are on the rise. This is especially true in areas like mental health and special education, where the district does not receive enough funding to provide state- and federally-mandated services for our students. We have also seen cost increases for things like transportation, supplies, equipment, and utilities.
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In the face of these challenges, district leaders and the Board of Education have worked extremely hard to make the most of every single dollar community members have invested into their community schools.
The district made more than $353,000 in expense reductions for the 2023-24 school year alone. In addition, the board has needed to use $732,156 of the district’s fund balance for the 2022-23 budget deficit.
While we are proud of our financial discipline, the district has made significant expense reductions in recent years and we worry about harming our schools and students over the long term if this trend continues. A referendum is necessary to maintain current programming and provide residents with the high-quality school district they have come to expect.
The Board of Education is asking our community to approve a non-recurring operational referendum that will appear on the ballot Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
An approved referendum would allow the district to exceed its revenue limit by a total of $2.25 million per year over the next four years. With an approved referendum, we will prioritize the following:
- Avoiding additional cuts in staffing and student programs
- Maintaining small class sizes and our current level of instruction
- Providing a full range of academic programming
- Retaining our experienced staff
The property tax impact of an approved referendum would be 95 cents per every $1,000 of assessed property value. The owner of a home assessed at $100,000, for example, would see a property tax impact of $95 per year.
An approved referendum would give the district access to the funding necessary to maintain programs and services for students across all grade levels. We would be able to maintain our current class sizes, keep our facilities in good working condition, and retain our highly talented and experienced educators.
The table outlines the School District of Mauston’s property tax mill rate over the past 10 years.
The district’s current mill rate is $7.86 per $1,000 of assessed property value. If the referendum is approved, the district’s mill rate would be $8.81 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Even with the increase, the mill rate would be 16.7% lower than it was in 2020.
If the operational referendum is not approved, the district and board will need to make some difficult decisions to balance the budget, starting in the 2024-25 school year.
Additional cuts would negatively impact the academic and extracurricular opportunities available to our students. A referendum is necessary so that the district can continue to provide the exceptional educational experience our community has rightfully come to expect from our schools.
The district made more than $353,000 in expense reductions for the 2023-24 school year alone. In addition, the board has needed to use $732,156 of the district’s fund balance for the 2022-23 budget deficit.
Drawing on fund balance is not a sound long-term solution, as it can harm the district’s credit rating and make borrowing more expensive in the future. Further reductions would have a negative impact on our students, as we would need to begin cutting programs and services.
We worry about harming our schools and students over the long term if this trend continues. The time has come to find a sustainable solution to the district’s financial needs.
Yes. The proposed operational referendum is a non-recurring, four-year referendum. This means it would expire at the end of the 2027-28 school year unless voters approve a new operational referendum before that time.
The district did receive federal COVID-19 relief funds (known as ESSER) to provide assistance during the pandemic. These funds provided some short-term help, but there were restrictions on how and where they could be used. Per federal requirements, we focused these funds on student safety and wellness. The ESSER funds will expire at the end of the 2023-24 school year.
Yes. Due to the outdated state funding formula and a lack of aid to schools from the state legislature in recent years, increasing numbers of Wisconsin school districts are turning to their communities to address financial challenges.
Over the last decade, more than half of the school districts in Wisconsin have received approval from voters via successful operational referendums to exceed revenue limits.
Of our 13 neighboring and conference districts:
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2 are planning for a capital referendum (one is also exploring an operational referendum)
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2 are planning an operational referendum for November 2024
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8 have passed and currently use operational referendum funds
In short, the School District of Mauston joins many other districts statewide in facing these financial challenges.
Residents will vote on the operational referendum question during the spring general election on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
District residents may vote at their regular polling location on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. You can find voting and registration information at https://myvote.wi.gov/.
Voters will see the following question on their ballots on Tuesday, April 2:
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Referendum |
Shall the School District of Mauston, Juneau County, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statues, by $2,250,000 per year for four years, beginning with the 2024-2025 school year and ending with the 2027-2028 school year, for non-recurring purposes consisting of operational expenses, including staff salaries and benefits, to maintain class sizes and caseloads, to maintain technology and infrastructure, to maintain academic programs and to address behavior and mental health support?
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o YES
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o NO
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- If you support the proposed question, you would vote yes.
- If you do not support the proposed question, you would vote no.
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