A Wisconsin school district avoided possible dissolution last week when voters approved a four-year operating referendum.
Wisconsin Public Radio reports that the School District of Mauston asked voters for permission to exceed the state-imposed revenue limit by $7 million--$1.75 million annually for the next four years. The referendum passed with around 66% of the vote, according to unofficial results.
It was the third time the district had put an operating referendum before voters in the last year. The measure failed during the November election by less than 2 percentage points.
The Mauston School Board voted in November to consider dissolving the district because of the lack of funding. Without increased revenue, the district had funds to operate for only two more school years. The school board had also approved significant cuts to next school year’s budget, including ending all school sports, field trips and extracurriculars.
Superintendent Joel Heesch said after the vote that the district will be able to avoid the worst budget cuts and continue with extracurriculars and sports. But he said school board members will still need to consider some cuts because the referendum amount is less than what the district needs to maintain a balanced budget.
Brandon Luehman, a former Mauston elementary teacher who helped form an advocacy group, Yes for Mauston Kids, said the district budget challenges stem from inadequate funding from the state and the inaction of state lawmakers to fix the funding formula.
