BRODHEAD - By a vote of 1,021 to 828, or about 55 percent to 45 percent, Brodhead school district residents rejected a referendum that would have allowed the district to exceed the state-mandated property tax revenue limits for the next four years.
Superintendent Charles Deery said he was disappointed with the results.
"I've heard lots of different reasons," Deery said.
Deery said he wasn't sure if there was any specific reason for the referendum's failure, but regardless the district will have to deal with the results.
Board member Jim Wahl said the economy was probably one of the reasons people voted against the referendum.
Wahl said the school board will meet Monday, and it will have to make some difficult decisions.
"Those decisions will affect the kids," Wahl said.
Letters in the two Brodhead papers represented both sides of the issue but neither side was represented more than the other, Wahl said.
"I think there were probably as many letters for it as against it," he said.
In Green County, 720 people, or about 44 percent, voted in favor of the referendum while 901, about 56 percent, voted against it.
In Rock County, 108 people, about 47 percent, voted for the referendum while 120 people, about 53 percent voted against it.
Voting was busy in Brodhead Tuesday, according to Brodhead City Clerk Nancy Schoeller. By 1 p.m. about 400 people had voted, which is about 25 percent of the registered voters in the city.
Schoeller expected the referendum to bring a lot of people to the polls.
The district was asking residents to increase the revenue limits by $635,000 in the 2010-11 school year; $810,000 in the 2011-12 school year; $855,000 in the 2012-12 school year; and $1,285,000 in the 2013-14 school year. The referendum would have paid general district operations and for repairs in the roof at the high school.
The tax rate for the school district this year was $8.45 per $1,000 of equalized property value. Had the referendum passed, projected tax rates during the next four years were $8.85 in 2010-11; $9.89 for 2011-12; $10.09 for 2012-13; and $10.73 for 2013-14.
Brodhead school board members told residents at two public meetings that there would be cuts in staff and programs, including sports, if the referendum failed.
For each of the past six years, Deery told district residents, the school board cut $200,000 from the district budget. Some of the cuts included teaching positions and programs such as Future Homemakers of America and Future Business leaders of America, a reduction in field trips and delays in textbook purchases.
Declining enrollment was one of the reasons for the referendum, Deery said.
Superintendent Charles Deery said he was disappointed with the results.
"I've heard lots of different reasons," Deery said.
Deery said he wasn't sure if there was any specific reason for the referendum's failure, but regardless the district will have to deal with the results.
Board member Jim Wahl said the economy was probably one of the reasons people voted against the referendum.
Wahl said the school board will meet Monday, and it will have to make some difficult decisions.
"Those decisions will affect the kids," Wahl said.
Letters in the two Brodhead papers represented both sides of the issue but neither side was represented more than the other, Wahl said.
"I think there were probably as many letters for it as against it," he said.
In Green County, 720 people, or about 44 percent, voted in favor of the referendum while 901, about 56 percent, voted against it.
In Rock County, 108 people, about 47 percent, voted for the referendum while 120 people, about 53 percent voted against it.
Voting was busy in Brodhead Tuesday, according to Brodhead City Clerk Nancy Schoeller. By 1 p.m. about 400 people had voted, which is about 25 percent of the registered voters in the city.
Schoeller expected the referendum to bring a lot of people to the polls.
The district was asking residents to increase the revenue limits by $635,000 in the 2010-11 school year; $810,000 in the 2011-12 school year; $855,000 in the 2012-12 school year; and $1,285,000 in the 2013-14 school year. The referendum would have paid general district operations and for repairs in the roof at the high school.
The tax rate for the school district this year was $8.45 per $1,000 of equalized property value. Had the referendum passed, projected tax rates during the next four years were $8.85 in 2010-11; $9.89 for 2011-12; $10.09 for 2012-13; and $10.73 for 2013-14.
Brodhead school board members told residents at two public meetings that there would be cuts in staff and programs, including sports, if the referendum failed.
For each of the past six years, Deery told district residents, the school board cut $200,000 from the district budget. Some of the cuts included teaching positions and programs such as Future Homemakers of America and Future Business leaders of America, a reduction in field trips and delays in textbook purchases.
Declining enrollment was one of the reasons for the referendum, Deery said.