By Adam Krebs

editor@

themonroetimes.com

MONROE — Voters across multiple area school districts will face operating referendum questions next week.

Monroe is asking voters for $2.75 million per year for the next four years. The non-recurring referendum would then end following the 2029-2030 school year. While individual property taxes vary, the general estimated school tax increase per year would be about $136 per $100,000 home; $272 on a $200,000 home or $408 on a $300,000 home. 

District officials have already made plans should the question fail, which includes eliminating 22.5 positions, including an administrator, teachers, interventionists and other individual support staff. That would also mean an increase in students per classroom, as well as fewer offerings for learning at the middle and high school levels.

Over the past four years, the school board has had to cut millions from the budget already, including 15 professional staff positions, nearly 13 support staff positions like classroom aids and health assistants, eliminated summer school transportation and reduced staff benefits and coaches pay.  

Down the road to the west, the Black Hawk school district voters will decide if district officials will be able to permanently raise the operating budget by $800,000 beginning next term. The election is scheduled for Tuesday, April 7, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Black Hawk is one of several in southwest Wisconsin seeking extra budget dollars from tax payers this spring. A sharp decrease over the past 15 years have left school districts across the state receiving less than $3,500 per student than they should be in 2026.  Benton, Shullsburg, Dodgeville, Prairie du Chien, Wauzeka-Steuben, and Weston are among the other districts with ballot measures strictly for raising the operating budget. 

“This is not about expansion or luxury,” said Black Hawk school board candidate Dustin Williams. “This is about whether Black Hawk school community pride survives as the heart of our communities. Residents in Browntown, Gratiot, Martintown, South Wayne, Wiota, and Woodford all face a loss of identity if Black Hawk falls.”

Two school board seats are up for election, with Brenda Peterson and Clayton Ruegsegger joining Williams on the ballot. 

Had state dollars not been interrupted, the district budget would have an extra $1.3 million annual to compete with. Instead, the district is seeking about 61% of that amount to fill the gap. 

“Our State Senate district continues to bear the burden of Wisconsin’s broken school funding system,” said Rep. Jenna Jacobson of the 50th Assembly District and candidate for the 17th Senate District. “This April alone, 10 schools in our district are going to referendum, more than anywhere else in the state. It’s time for leadership that fixes the problem instead of pushing the burden onto local communities.”

Among the things the district has done over the years to adapt to a shrinking budget is cutting staff  by nearly 1/3 (from 85 to 55). Administration salaries have been cut; staff and teachers have gone without raises, bus routes have been cut and board members waive their own pay.

With very little left to cut from the budget, major reductions could lead to the district sinking altogether. Among those on the table include Career and Technical Education programs and extracurriculars. 

“The Board believes that the district is currently operating at an absolute minimum level of staffing. Further reductions jeopardize the existence of our school,” the board said in a statement about the referendum. 

Short term borrowing could buy maybe two years of time before dissolution becomes a serious option. Dissolution means the district would cease to exist — however, it does not mean the taxes would go away. Instead, the taxpayers would be reassigned to a new school district and have to pay that district’s mill rate — plus pay off the leftover long-term debts of Black Hawk.

Monticello is asking its voters to continue the $280,000 that was approved in 2022, as well as an additional $970,000 per year to maintain school operations, as well as replacer aging buses, upgrade HVAC systems, resurface parking lots and restore the financial safety net. The Monticello School Districts estimates an increase in taxes of about $256 per year for a $100,000 valued home.

Albany is not holding a referendum, but board candidates are aware of the situation.

Dennis Murphy, Albany school board candidate, is retired and running for the first time in order to give back to his community. While finances are important, he said, “The No. 1 priority is the academics.”