A whopping 72 Wisconsin school districts have placed referendums on the April 7 ballot seeking just over $1 billion in additional local funding, mostly through property tax increases for operations and debt.
62 of the questions are operational referendums that would allow districts to exceed state revenue limits for day-to-day expenses such as staff salaries, programs and maintenance. The remaining questions seek borrowing authority for capital projects. The requests come even as statewide K-12 enrollment has declined, with the state losing more than 14,000 public school students last year and 68 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties seeing enrollment drops.
Gov. Tony Evers dramatically expanded school funding authority in 2023 when he used a partial veto to extend an annual $325 per-pupil increase to district revenue limits for 400 years, a move upheld by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. State K-12 education funding has reached all-time highs in recent years, as districts spent a record $17,400 per student in the 2023-24 school year.
Despite the increases in state support, many districts say they face budget pressures from rising costs, special education needs and fixed expenses that do not shrink with fewer students. Wisconsin public school enrollment has fallen about 7% since 2002, outpacing the national decline.