MONROE — The public would never support a so-called “recurring” school operating referendum and so the School District of Monroe has agreed to ask voters this spring to approve a one-time referendum that spans four years and raises $2.75 million.

Though it might seem less disruptive for the referendum question not to come up again during annual budget talks four years from now, the board during its Dec. 8 meeting agreed on the one-time option to close the district’s current budget hole and avoid drastic cuts.

“What I overwhelmingly heard is that a recurring referendum would be just something very, very hard to pass, something people would not be on board with,” said Nicole Josephs, during a lengthy discussion that preceded the board’s decision to go to referendum.

Board member Phil Vosberg agreed that voters are starting to understand that the state legislature simply is not going to increase funding to schools, even though educators agree that the funding gap is substantial. 

The district has faced criticism in recent years, partly because of what some saw as contradicting facts over the actual cost to taxpayers of the $88 million referendum to construct the new high school in 2022. That contributed to the loss of an operating referendum question in 2024. Now, though, they credit several lengthy listening sessions and public feedback for helping them to decide what type of referendum will be acceptable to cash-strapped voters.

“I would have to agree that the non-recurring is the only thing that could pass right now,” said Board Member Mike Davis. “We do have a school that we have to run.”

Officials continue to emphasize that Wisconsin school boards are doing the best they can under the circumstances, but they say at some point the legislature must come up with a solution to adequately fund schools. Currently, said Board Member Steve Mayer, the legislature is funding schools “on the backs” of local property taxpayers.

“We’re having the discussion fully in the open, and I think that matters,” said Board President Jim Curran. “They (the state) expect districts to go to referendum and ask local taxpayers to pick up the difference, that is the reality of it.”

Officials have said they learned from the failed operational referendum process and as a result are committed to “transparency and fiscal responsibility” throughout the current effort to shore up its finances, Superintendent Joe Monroe said. They also have considered the worsening inflation and financial situation that families face in today’s uncertain economy. 

By relying overly on property taxes, the current state budget ignores the fact that some who own property are not necessarily well-off — in fact, many are struggling to keep their properties.

“The way that this is structured, it’s not based on how much disposable income you have, it’s based on whether or not you own property, and sometimes there are people who own property who don’t have a ton of disposable income,” he said. “I feel personally conflicted with the folks who are making real day-to-day challenging decisions about their financial reality.”

The referendum, if approved, would appear on the April 27, 2026 ballot.  The four-year time frame also helps the district align to the state’s education budgeting cycle, according to officials.

Without the referendum’s passage the district will continue to cut deeper into the budget — having already eliminated more than $1 million in programs and services during the first budget year following the operating referendum’s failure. The next round of cuts would likely impact class sizes and direct programs that help students.

During the last round of cuts, the German language program was eliminated by the district, and two special education aids and a special education teacher slashed. Additionally, around 300 of the 1,000 students who attended summer school last year lost bus transportation to and from school because of the changes.

Some board members said the public has lost its appetite for cuts, adding that if they continue, parents will send their children to other districts, making Monroe’s budget situation worse.

Avoiding such cuts is the board’s goal, although Business Manager Ron Olson said a $2.75 million referendum may require some additional cuts, depending on inflation. For example, Olson said, a 7 or 8 percent jump in utility costs in future years could throw the budget off yet again. 

School officials agreed they can only do so much with what they currently have.

“Forever is a long time, we don’t know what the future brings,” said Mayer. “At some point the state legislature needs to figure this out… times are tough.”