Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
Voters in the Bonduel School District said “no” Tuesday on a referendum that was designed to restore financial stability in a district struggling with flat property values and declining enrollment.
District Administrator Patrick Rau said he would meet with school board members April 17 to begin deciding on staff reductions and other budget cuts to cope with an expected $400,000 deficit next year.
“It’s going to definitely change how things are done in the Bonduel schools,” Rau said.
The referendum seeking to raise an additional $1 million a year for the school district was rejected 708-602 in Tuesday’s election.
The measure would have authorized the school district to raise property taxes by up to $1 million annually for three years to maintain staffing in the district, protect programs and preserve facilities.
School district administrators warned that if the ballot initiative failed, budget deficits could mean fewer course offerings at the high school and larger class sizes at the elementary school level, among other possibilities.
With more than 100 employees currently, the district is facing a budget deficit that is expected to reach $400,000 next year and could surpass $1 million within three years.
Residents turning out at the polls Tuesday reflected a sharp division over the ballot measure.
Jean Belke said she supported the referendum because she recognizes that state funding cuts and other actions at the state level have left the school district in a precarious financial situation.
“We really do have an excellent school system,” Belke said. “And we need to maintain that.”
Roland Hilliker said he voted against the referendum, citing his opposition to the school district’s administration and its recent track record.
“There’s a lot of mistrust,” Hilliker said. “I don’t think more money is the answer.”
District officials and other school boosters promoted the referendum to civic groups, at community meetings, and in campaign literature. A recurring theme was that voter approval would not mean school expansion, but rather would avert loss of staff and services.
The district has 827 students and operates a high school, middle school and elementary school on a yearly budget of $12.4 million, which includes $4.3 million in property taxes.
If the referendum had passed, property tax collections for Bonduel schools could have increased to as much as $5.3 million annually. For the owner of a typical $100,000 property, school taxes would have increased by about $180 a year.
Under Wisconsin’s public school funding limits, school districts must seek voter approval to exceed tax caps imposed by the state.
Before Bonduel officials decided to try a referendum, the district conducted a community survey and asked residents to rate their support for various options, including the grim prospect that the district would be dissolved and its students parceled off to neighboring districts.
Rau said Tuesday he has no plans to recommend to the school board that they take steps to dissolve the district as a result of Tuesday’s referendum. Such a move, he said, would not be in the best interests of the Bonduel community.
“If the school closes, I don’t believe that Bonduel will be able to thrive and prosper,” he said.