Across the area, school district officials are making the rounds, working to convince voters to approve more money for schools in advance of election day, April 5.

Public hearings, informational meetings, Internet pages - all of those are being deployed by officials in Darlington, Monroe and New Glarus, who are hoping to make their case for additional school funding from taxpayers navigating tough economic times and amid uncertainty about looming cuts in state aid.

Monroe School Board member Larry Eakins estimates that his district has given at least 15 presentations on its referendum proposal to community and civic organizations, a trend that's likely to continue up to April 5.

He acknowledges that for at least for some in the audience, the message can be a tough sell.

"There's people worried about how much their taxes are going up and how they are going to pay the bill," said Eakins, who has served on the board for 25 years. "I understand that. But there's also people worried about cuts and increases in class-size and student-teacher ratios - and what happens if the state cuts are bigger than we anticipated."

Eakins says that school districts are trapped by a flawed school funding formula that's been in place since 1993, and one that needs to be fixed.

"Operating referendums are what we've been forced into as a school district," he said, noting that the state hasn't lived up to its obligations related to funding schools.

Monroe

Monroe voters are being asked to approve a four-year, $8 million referendum for operating expenses. Without it, officials have projected deficits, requiring program and staff cuts across the district. Monroe is nearing the end of its four-year, non-recurring referendum, in which voters allowed the district to exceed state revenue caps by $8.3 million.

The district levied about half, or about $4 million, of the authorized amount over the past four years.

The current mill rate for the district is $12.45 per $1,000 of fair market value, according to the district, of which 0.79 is from the expiring referendum. If the measure is approved, the referendum portion of the mill rate would be 0.71 for 2011-2012, rising to $3.04 for 2014-2015. If the referendum fails, the board has identified nearly $1 million in possible cuts in two rounds.

They also have vowed to make $494,652 in cuts for the 2011 school year - regardless of whether the referendum is approved.

New Glarus

In New Glarus, the district is seeking authorization to borrow up to $10 million to pay for an addition to its existing high school/middle school complex for grades 6 to 8. The plan also includes a new gymansium/auditorium, renovation of existing classrooms in the building, parking lot work, various other renovations, a two-classroom building addition to the existing elementary school, expanding and renovating elementary-school classrooms, and new equipment and furnishings for the additional spaces.

That question is expected to have a tax rate impact of 0.53 per $1,000 of fair market property value - a roughly 5 percent increase over the current rate.

New Glarus school officials also are seeking approval of a referendum question to exceed revenue caps by $85,000 for operating expenses, starting in the 2011-2012 school year, related to the 6-8 grade addition and improvements to the middle/high school. That is expected to add 0.22 per $1,000 to tax bills, according to the district.

The district has held a number of public forums - and has even included a tax rate calculator on its website to allow individual property owners to gauge the specific impact on their tax bills.

A New Glarus referendum in 2007 seeking $20 million for building renovation and construction failed. But years of planning and educating the public could make a difference this time, officials say.

New Glarus Superintendent Bill Conzemius told the Times earlier this month the district has factors working in its favor. "Interest rates are at an all-time low, and by 2014 our debt payment schedule will dramatically decrease."

Darlington

Darlington's Community District School board has authorized a pair of referendum questions to help keep schools running at current funding levels. The first seeks voter approval for issuing just more than $2 million in general obligation bonds to refinance debt and help the district meet its obligation to the state retirement fund. That could save up to $2 million in interest payments over the long run from a reduced interest rate of 3.8 percent on the debt, from the current 7.8 percent interest rate, according to the Rev. Carol Johnson, a Darlington school board member.

"This move is not going to impact our taxes right now," she said. "It's the right thing to do."

The Darlington district also is asking for a referendum that will allow the district to exceed the state revenue cap by $700,000 for each year over the next five years.

"The second resolution is for the same amount of money the community authorized for the school to continue operations through the 2011-2012 school year," District Superintendent Denise Wellnitz said, following authorization of the referendum by the Darlington School Board in February.

Darlington voters, in 2008, approved four-year, $2.8 million referendum, which was used to fund general operating expenses at the rate of $700,000 each year for four years - starting with the 2008-2009 school year. That amounted to an increase in the district's portion of taxes by 0.52 cents per $1,000 of property value, per year.

"The referendum is really important for this community to consider in a positive way," said Johnson.