Shall the Parkview School District, Rock county, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $2,294,125 beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, for recurring purposes consisting of operational and maintenance expenses, including for technology, educational programming, curriculum, salaries and benefits?

The Board of Education started discussing whether or not to have another operational referendum in July 2023. The first part of the process was to let the staff and public know the impact of the failed April 2 referendum, which was the reduction of $1,100,000 from the projected 2023-2024 budget. This reduction resulted in the loss of several staff positions, cutting two bus routes and reducing the District's supply, materials and equipment budgets.

Next, the District compiled a list of its projected needs for the 2024-2025 budget. This list was used to create a survey that was sent to staff, parents and community members asking which of the proposed items they would support including in an upcoming operational referendum. The results of the survey were shared with the Finance Committee and the Board of Education. The survey items, which received over 50% support from the staff and community members, were then discussed at upcoming Board and Committee meetings.

During the months of November and December, the Board of Education discussed the proposed operational referendum items and the costs associated with each item. In January, the Board of Education made a final decision to ask the public to support an operational referendum in the amount of $2,294,125.

The next steps in the process are a series of informational discussions at the various townships and municipalities, plus weekly blogs detailing each of the referendum items.

On April 2, 2024, Parkview is seeking additional funding via an operation referendum. An OPERATIONAL referendum question asks voters to approve additional funding above the annual revenue limit to maintain things like class sizes, programs, and student services. Funds secured are used within the year they are received. Many School Districts in Wisconsin are having, or have had, discussions regarding their ability to fund operational needs. In fact, from April of 2022 through April of 2023 alone, there were 145 operational referendums by Wisconsin School Districts asking voters to approve additional funding for operational needs.

A CAPITAL referendum question asks voters to approve the district issuing debt to pay for major building projects, such as maintenance, remodeling or additions to school buildings. Much like a home mortgage, a capital referendum is typically financed over an extended period of time, often 20 years.

It should have been yesterday, but yesterday's past.

Our students need more opportunities and we need to be able to offer competitive wages and fringe benefits in order to retain our existing staff and attract new staff when we have openings.

Parkview is seeking additional funding via an operational referendum for recurring purposes consisting of operational and maintenance expenses, including technology, educational programming, curriculum, salaries and benefits.

Approval of the operational referendum would result in an annual estimated tax increase of $359 for every $100,000 of property value over the current tax rate. This is still BELOW rates in 2022-23. Additionally, Parkview has been able to continually reduce tax rates over the the course of the last 10 years.

The failure of the April 2023 operational referendum meant that the Districts budget had to be cut by over $1,000,000.00 in the 2023-24 school year.

If there is another failed referendum in April 2024 the district will be faced with making additional cuts which will have a dramatic impact on the students, staff, parents and community. See below for budget cuts approved by the School Board.

BUDGET CUTS WITH FAILED REF

Even though in recent years Parkview has demonstrated fiscal/financial responsibility, because of many factors that are beyond our control, we don’t feel comfortable saying yes or no to needing future referendums. But we do feel comfortable in pledging to continue with the same type of fiscal/financial responsibility that our community has come to (and should) expect.

Many School Districts in Wisconsin are having, or have had, discussions regarding their ability to fund operational needs. In fact, from April of 2022 through April of 2023 alone, there were 145 operational referendums by Wisconsin School Districts asking voters to approve additional funding for operational needs.

The cost of virtually everything has spiked over the last few years, and school districts are not immune to the effects. Fuel, utility, transportation, classroom and food costs are up while the cost to attract and retain full-time staff, substitute teachers and support staff has risen.

Farmland, or agricultural land, is assessed differently than the value of a typical home. For agricultural land, the value is determined by the use value instead of the market value. In a use value assessment system, the use of the land is the most important factor in determining its assessed value.

Visit the VOTING INFORMATION page to learn more.

Yes. The priorities for operational funding are long-term expenses and here to stay.

Yes. In fact, for many decades compensation and minor maintenance items were covered in annual budgets. Revenue limits were put into action in 1992, thereby reducing the ability of the district to raise the levy without asking the public for approval. This was a effort to provide checks and balances. Those checks and balances now come in the form of a referendum.

An argument to support this notion is that rather than the State of Wisconsin deciding which school receives what amount of money, the question remains local. If a local referendum passes or fails, it is local dollars, impacting local programming, and local children.

Since 2011, state aid to Wisconsin’s schools has continued to decrease, while tax cuts have increased, making it more difficult to fund prioritized needs for both facility maintenance and operations within the District’s annual budget. In fact, from April of 2022 through April of 2023 alone, there were 145 operational referendums by Wisconsin School Districts asking voters to approve additional funding for operational needs.

Please reference the graph below showing the $3.9 Billion change in state aid to schools since 2011 (Legislative Fiscal Bureau, Wisconsin Budget Project). By design, additional funding decisions are not coming from the State of Wisconsin any longer, but rather the decision is being given to local taxpayers instead.