In 2020, the foundation formed Schools Make Madison Advocates, its 501(c)4 advocacy arm with the ability to directly lobby and support candidates for public office.
“The answers to our financial questions reside in the state Capitol,” she said. “They don’t always reside in testimony at a (district) Board of Education meeting, but that tends to be what the public thinks about.”
The foundation’s advocacy backed the district’s 2020 and 2024 property tax referendums — which both far exceeded the simple majority needed to pass. While school districts can only provide neutral information to voters about referendums under state law, the foundation as a separate entity can explicitly lobby people to vote for the measures.
“Given that referendum campaigns are essentially the only tool a district has to drive more revenue, as their education foundation — as the community’s education foundation — we had to be there,” Heinritz said.
Heinritz views the foundation’s role as explaining why the community should vote in favor. For example, beyond improving schools, Heinritz said the foundation has emphasized economic impact. The district’s ($33,000,000) 2020 referendum created 4,650 jobs, according to a report commissioned by the foundation and conducted by a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater research center.
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MMSD Budget Facts: from 2014-15 to 2020-21.
Financial details from the Foundation for Madison Public Schools’ annual IRS 990 filing.