MONROE - Whether voters want to believe it, school referendums are a fact of life.
"Referendums will become a regular part of school funding until (funding) is addressed by the state," Monroe School District Business Manager Ron Olson said. "A referendum used to be thought of as an extraordinary measure. Now it's part of the funding formula."
Brodhead and Black Hawk school district residents will go to the polls April 6 to determine if the districts can exceed the state-mandated property tax revenue caps.
The Brodhead district is asking residents to exceed the revenue caps by $393,000 in 2010-11; $567,000 in 2011-12; and $797,100 in 2012-13.
It's Brodhead's second attempted referendum this year. The first, held Feb. 16, failed by a 55 percent to 45 percent vote.
Black Hawk school district is asking residents to approve an $800,000 recurring referendum.
Both districts need the money for operating expenses.
"Nobody likes the fact that things cost more than they did five years ago," Albany Superintendent Steve Guenther said, "but in the end it's just the natural flow of things."
The cost to operate schools has continued to increase, Olson said.
For more than 15 years the state required school districts to increase wages and benefits for teachers by at least 3.8 percent. District revenues were allowed to increase at 2.5 percent. Things such as fuel and textbooks also have continued to increase every year.
School administrators and business managers said expenses have outpaced revenue. Olson said districts were able to delay maintenance projects and try to make cuts to save money. That's no longer an option, he said.
"Now you either significantly impact programs or go to referendum," he said.
Since 2000, Olson said, 60 percent of school districts in Wisconsin have gone to referendum.
Choosing to go to referendum isn't easy.
Brodhead Superintendent Charles Deery said a referendum can be divisive.
"It's controversial," he said. "There are a lot of people who support it and a lot of people who oppose it."
Deery said people can look at letters in local newspapers or comments on Web sites to get an idea of how polarizing a referendum can be for a school district.
Guenther said districts need to do everything possible to make sure residents know why the board has decided to go to referendum.
"The hardest part of the referendum is to make sure you're message is clear to the voters," Guenther said. "The other hard part is to keep the community involved."
Olson said a referendum can cause tension between school officials and taxpayers.
"The taxpayers get frustrated," Olson said.
Monroe Superintendent Larry Brown said residents blame school administrators and employees for the referendums.
"We're easy access for the people to blame," he said.
Guenther said people that don't have children in the public schools are the ones that must be convinced that a referendum is needed.
"You have to keep them involved," he said.
Guenther said the district was able to explain the need for a referendum when Albany voters went to the polls last year to pass a referendum to allow the district to raise money for capital projects.
Guenther and Olson said the way the state funds schools needs to change if people expect the number of referendums to decrease.
"Education is probably the biggest budget item in any budget," Guenther said.
With the state's financial problems, it's unlikely the state will be able to increase funding for education, he said.
"If the state budget doesn't get figured out the money (for school districts) has to come from somewhere," Olson said.
According to the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, state aid to school districts declined by 2.7 percent in the state's 2009-10 school budget from the 2008-09 budget.
"The drop in aids will put pressure on school property tax levies," Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance Research Director Dale Knapp said. "Under state-imposed revenue limits, school districts may replace lost general aid with property taxes."
Rep. Steve Hilgenberg, D-Dodgeville, and other representatives from rural districts have recently joined together to try to help rural schools that are struggling with declining enrollment, transportation costs and special education costs.
Among the goals of the rural legislators is to reduce the reliance of school district funding on property taxes, Hilgenberg said.
The plans to help rural districts are in the Assembly's Education Committee. He hopes they will be brought to the floor in the next few weeks.
For the foreseeable future, however, Hilgenberg said school districts will continue face tough budget decisions.
"Referendums will become a regular part of school funding until (funding) is addressed by the state," Monroe School District Business Manager Ron Olson said. "A referendum used to be thought of as an extraordinary measure. Now it's part of the funding formula."
Brodhead and Black Hawk school district residents will go to the polls April 6 to determine if the districts can exceed the state-mandated property tax revenue caps.
The Brodhead district is asking residents to exceed the revenue caps by $393,000 in 2010-11; $567,000 in 2011-12; and $797,100 in 2012-13.
It's Brodhead's second attempted referendum this year. The first, held Feb. 16, failed by a 55 percent to 45 percent vote.
Black Hawk school district is asking residents to approve an $800,000 recurring referendum.
Both districts need the money for operating expenses.
"Nobody likes the fact that things cost more than they did five years ago," Albany Superintendent Steve Guenther said, "but in the end it's just the natural flow of things."
The cost to operate schools has continued to increase, Olson said.
For more than 15 years the state required school districts to increase wages and benefits for teachers by at least 3.8 percent. District revenues were allowed to increase at 2.5 percent. Things such as fuel and textbooks also have continued to increase every year.
School administrators and business managers said expenses have outpaced revenue. Olson said districts were able to delay maintenance projects and try to make cuts to save money. That's no longer an option, he said.
"Now you either significantly impact programs or go to referendum," he said.
Since 2000, Olson said, 60 percent of school districts in Wisconsin have gone to referendum.
Choosing to go to referendum isn't easy.
Brodhead Superintendent Charles Deery said a referendum can be divisive.
"It's controversial," he said. "There are a lot of people who support it and a lot of people who oppose it."
Deery said people can look at letters in local newspapers or comments on Web sites to get an idea of how polarizing a referendum can be for a school district.
Guenther said districts need to do everything possible to make sure residents know why the board has decided to go to referendum.
"The hardest part of the referendum is to make sure you're message is clear to the voters," Guenther said. "The other hard part is to keep the community involved."
Olson said a referendum can cause tension between school officials and taxpayers.
"The taxpayers get frustrated," Olson said.
Monroe Superintendent Larry Brown said residents blame school administrators and employees for the referendums.
"We're easy access for the people to blame," he said.
Guenther said people that don't have children in the public schools are the ones that must be convinced that a referendum is needed.
"You have to keep them involved," he said.
Guenther said the district was able to explain the need for a referendum when Albany voters went to the polls last year to pass a referendum to allow the district to raise money for capital projects.
Guenther and Olson said the way the state funds schools needs to change if people expect the number of referendums to decrease.
"Education is probably the biggest budget item in any budget," Guenther said.
With the state's financial problems, it's unlikely the state will be able to increase funding for education, he said.
"If the state budget doesn't get figured out the money (for school districts) has to come from somewhere," Olson said.
According to the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, state aid to school districts declined by 2.7 percent in the state's 2009-10 school budget from the 2008-09 budget.
"The drop in aids will put pressure on school property tax levies," Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance Research Director Dale Knapp said. "Under state-imposed revenue limits, school districts may replace lost general aid with property taxes."
Rep. Steve Hilgenberg, D-Dodgeville, and other representatives from rural districts have recently joined together to try to help rural schools that are struggling with declining enrollment, transportation costs and special education costs.
Among the goals of the rural legislators is to reduce the reliance of school district funding on property taxes, Hilgenberg said.
The plans to help rural districts are in the Assembly's Education Committee. He hopes they will be brought to the floor in the next few weeks.
For the foreseeable future, however, Hilgenberg said school districts will continue face tough budget decisions.