MacIver News Service | March 28, 2013
[Madison, Wisc…] Tucked in among the non-partisan contests on Tuesday’s general election ballots, 43 school districts across Wisconsin are also asking for extra funding, according to research from the Wheeler Report.Statewide, these questions total $415 million. The extra funds would pay for everything from new schools to ongoing operating expenses. Some school districts have supported passing the referendums now to take advantage of lower interest rates. Many are using this claim to back up the need for multi-million dollar expansion projects.
Columbus is asking the most with two referendum questions totaling $39.9 million. It wants to build a new high school, convert the old high school into a middle school, and demolish the old middle school, in addition to other projects.
Menomonie Area is asking for the second most, $36 million. Here, too, the amount is broken into two referendum questions, and would fund various renovations and improvements around the district.
In third place is Sheboygan Falls, with one referendum question for $33.8 million. It wants to buy new land, build a new middle school and an addition onto the elementary school. It also has various upgrades in mind.
If all these referendum questions were to pass, property taxes per $100,000 of value would go up: $282 in Columbus, $94 in Sheboygan Falls, and $48 in Menomonie, according to those school districts’ websites.
The Wheeler Report released a list of each of the referendums around the state, which can be seen here.