WHAT'S ON THE LINE. The Eau Claire Area School District is one of many Wisconsin school districts seeking additional funding through a referendum this fall. (Memorial High School pictured)

Public school funding in Wisconsin has been a contentious and complicated matter for more than three decades – and, as time has passed, it has only gotten more complicated.

In the early 1990s, the state Legislature imposed limits on how much Wisconsin school districts could increase their property tax rates – essentially locking schools into a spending trajectory for years to come. In subsequent decades, lawmakers cut the share of school funding that came from the state budget, then limited school districts' abilities to even keep up with inflation.

The result is that school districts across the state have sought additional funding in the only way they’re allowed to: By asking voters for it directly through a referendum. In 2024, nearly half of Wisconsin school district are seeking – or have already sought – additional funding though a referendum, including the Eau Claire Area School District.

It’s something the Eau Claire district has done several times in recent years: For example, in 2022 voters approved an $98.6 million referendum for building projects at 11 schools, while in 2016 they voted in favor of a referendum to raise an additional $5.9 million annually for 14 years.

And it’s something the Eau Claire district is doing again on the Nov. 5 ballot, when voters will be asked whether or not they’ll foot the bill for an $18 million property tax increase each year for four years. That amounts to a tax increase of $99 per $100,000 of a home’s value. (Click here for a list of frequently asked questions about the referendum provided by the Eau Claire Area School District.)

“The referendum is the only tool we have to give our voters local control to invest in our district going over the revenue limit,” Eau Claire Superintendent Michael Johnson said during a recent public information session at North High School. Johnson explained that unlike the 2022 referendum, which was just for facilities, this is an operational referendum: In other words, the money will be used for day-to-day operating costs like salaries, transportation, and maintenance.

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The taxpayers have to take their angst to the legislators, not on the backs of the kids.

Chris Hambuch-Boyle

SCHOOL REFERENDUM SUPPORTER

The referendum was crafted earlier this year with the help of public and staff input and approved by the elected school board, Johnson said.

Mark Elworthy, the district’s executive director of business services, told forum attendees that the referendum request was the result of increased student needs, state revenue limits, lack of state funding, and rising expenses.

According to the school district, there’s a project shortfall of $13 million in the district’s budget for the 2024-25 school year.

Decades ago, the Eau Claire school board kept property taxes relatively low, particularly in the wake of the Uniroyal plant closure in the early 1990s, Elworthy noted. “Those were conscious decisions,” he said. “Eau Claire was a low-spending district in ’93, and so we’re kind of frozen in time.”

Inflation has also hit the district’s budget hard, Elworthy added: Had the state-imposed revenue cap increased simply to match the rate of inflation between 2008 and 2023, the district would be able to spend an additional $3,235 per student annually, he said.

Of course, Eau Claire is not alone. More than 80% of Wisconsin school districts have sought operational referendums in recent years, he said.

While school district employees such as Johnson and Elworthy aren’t legally allowed to tell district residents to vote “yes” on the referendum, an outside committee called Support Eau Claire Public Schools can fill that role – distributing yard signs and flyers and otherwise explicitly backing the referendum. These advocates say Eau Claire’s public schools will experience immediate impacts if the referendum doesn’t pass.

“I really hate thinking about if the referendum fails,” said Flo Sheridan, a member of the SECPS committee. Sheridan outlined numerous parts of the districts’ operations that will likely be impacted, including educational programs and course offerings, behavioral and mental health resources, safety and security updates, technology, building maintenance, and athletic and art programs. In addition, she worries, staff sizes will shrink and class sizes will grow.

On the other hand, she said, if the referendum is approved it will allow the school district to “maintain the stability of educational programming, safe and secure learning environments, student-to-staff ratios, and behavioral and mental health resources for students.”

Sheridan acknowledged that district property taxes will increase if the referendum is approved. “No one likes to see their property taxes go up,” she said, “but I believe the trade-off is worth it in order for the school district to maintain the high-quality programs and student support I know our community wants and our kids deserve.”

Chris Hambuch-Boyle – a retired educator and former school board member who is also working to promote the referendum – said she knows some people, particularly those with fixed incomes, are resistant to property tax increases. However, she said, decisions made in Madison have made the referendum the district’s only option.

“The taxpayers have to take their angst to the legislators, not on the backs of the kids,” Hambuch-Boyle said.

Sheridan added that during her nearly 50 years in Eau Claire voters have approved numerous school referendums and supported the school district in other ways. “That makes me confident the community will proudly support the schools once again,” she said.

To learn more about the referendum, visit go.ecasd.us/referendum2024, email referendum2024@ecasd.us, or call (715) 852-3000. You can also visit the website of Support Eau Claire Public Schools, the pro-referendum committee, at secps.org.