NORTHEAST WIS. – During the midterm elections on Nov. 3, voters across the state will be asked to decide on school district referendums.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 79 school districts are attempting referendums, including four local districts.
Gillett School District, Oconto Unified School District and Wausaukee School District are asking voters to approve non-recurring referendums, a voter-approved measure that allows a school district to exceed its state-imposed revenue limit for a specific dollar amount and a set number of years.
The Marinette School District is asking voters to approve an issue debt referendum, a measure that requests borrowing money to pay for major projects.
The Gillett School Board unanimously voted to place an operational referendum on the upcoming ballot for an additional $1.9 million annually for three years.
An operational referendum for $16 million over five years failed for the district in April, 2026.
The board shared in a statement online that, “Like school districts across Wisconsin, Gillett continues to face rising costs while state funding has not kept pace with inflation.”
A variety of money-saving strategies have been employed, such as structural cuts over the past two school years — which included staff restructuring — as well as creating a five-year strategic plan and facility assessment to identify major concerns. Additionally, the district offers the 15th lowest compensation out of 421 districts in the state.
If passed, these funds will be used to maintain programming and student/staff ratios; retain and attract teachers and support staff; and sustain operations and maintenance. The district would also provide competitive opportunities for students to prepare them for future opportunities and bring salaries and benefits up to average by the 2028 - 2029 school year.
“Because the district is scheduled to pay off its existing debt by the end of [2026 - 2027], the overall tax impact is projected to decline after the first year,” the district explained.
The tax payer impact — in comparison to the 2025 - 2026 school year — would be a projected increase of $13.67 per month per $100,000 of property value for the first year. The second year projected increase would be reduced to $3.42 per month, followed by a projected decrease of $0.50 per month during the third year.
If the referendum were to fail, the district may have to look into cutting staff and/or programs.
“We would continue to face the ramifications of having the lowest compensated staff in the region and one of the lowest in the state. Increasing class sizes and/or cutting elective programing such as agriculture, industrial arts, music and art would be very hard on our students and our staff — and the possibility of not being able to staff our buildings is a real concern,” the district shared.
The Gillett School District referendum question will read on the ballot as follows:
“Shall the Gillett School District, Oconto and Shawano Counties, Wisconsin, be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, of the Wisconsin Statutes, by $1,900,000 in each year for the 2026-2027, the 2027-2028, and the 2028-2029 school years, for non-recurring purposes, to sustain student educational programming, operations, and facilities maintenance?”
The Oconto Unified School District (OUSD) will ask residents to consider a five-year, non-recurring operational referendum for district operation and maintenance costs on Nov. 3.
The referendum asks for voters to approve $900,000 annually, beginning in the 2027 - 2028 school year, and expiring after the 2031 - 2032 school year.
Previous voter-approved funding of $800,000 annually has expired, and a declining student enrollment has resulted in decreased state funding for the district. OUSD reported that Wisconsin’s school revenue-limit increase has not kept pace with rising operation costs, such as utilities, staffing, insurance and transportation.
Since the dismissal of the annual $1.2 million operational referendum in April, OUSD has reduced expenses with an approximate $604,800 budget reduction to manage the 2026 - 2027 school year budget. Select areas faced staffing reductions and activities and athletics have faced funding reductions and to adjust to the new budget.
If the referendum is approved, OUSD has reported that the additional funding will go towards supporting staffing and instruction maintenance, education programs and electives, reliable transportation, technology and classroom needs, student support services, facilities, maintenance and utilities.
According to OUSD, “The estimated tax impact is approximately $0.20 per $1,000 of equalized property value. That is about $20 per year for every $100,000 of equalized value. If approved, the impact would first appear on property tax bills payable in 2028. Actual amounts may vary.”
If the November referendum is not approved, OUSD has stated that it will need to reduce its annual operating budget by at least an additional $900,000, beginning in the next school year. Areas that may be evaluated for reductions include staffing, education programs, electives, student support services, extracurricular activities, district and building services, transportation and more.
On Nov. 3, the ballot question will appear as follows:
“Shall the Oconto Unified School District, Oconto County, Wisconsin, be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $900,000 per year for five years, beginning with the 2027-2028 school year and ending with the 2031-2032 school year, for non-recurring purposes consisting of District operation and maintenance costs?”
Voters will be asked to make a decision on a facilities referendum not to exceed $68 million for the Marinette School District.
A $48 million referendum previously failed in April 2025.
According to the district, “Our schools are a source of immense pride in our community and have served us well, but facility challenges at our middle school and high school make it difficult for all students to engage in 21st-century learning and maintain normal operations amid heating system failures, inoperable windows, communication system failures and more.”
If the referendum passes, a variety of capital plans would be put into progress.
At the middle school, the tech ed and art wing built in 1921 would be replaced as well as the three-story building from 1961. Classrooms would be remodeled and playground equipment would be replaced.
The high school would also see remodeling done to the tech ed, music and science spaces, the auditorium and portions of the roofing replaced.
Both buildings would require HVAC updates, accessibility upgrades, replaced security systems and more.
The district estimates a tax impact of $47 per year per $100,000 of property value.
The district explained that if the referendum does not pass, “The board of education and administration will continue maintaining our schools with available resources, but we are limited by what we can complete through our annual budget and maintenance plan. We will prioritize immediate health, safety and operational needs while evaluating what work could reasonably be postponed.
The Marinette School District referendum will read on the ballot as follows:
“Shall the Marinette School District, Marinette County, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $68,000,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of a school facility improvement project at the Middle and High Schools consisting of: construction of additions and renovations at the Middle School, including for career and technical education, art, music, special education and commons spaces; renovations at the High School, including to career and technical education, music, science spaces and locker rooms; building infrastructure, systems, safety, security, accessibility and site improvements; an acquisition of furnishings, fixtures and equipment?”
During the upcoming election, the Wausaukee School District will ask voters to approve a five-year, $6 million operational referendum.
“Like many districts across the state, we are faced with higher costs without additional revenue to offset them. Declining enrollment coupled with state imposed revenue limits that have not kept up with inflation has put us in a period of deficit spending,” the district explained.
This will be Wausaukee’s first referendum since 2008, where funding for 10 years was requested. The district ultimately made the funding last for 18 years.
If the referendum passes, the district would aim to maintain their small class sizes, variety of elective options, dual credit and transcribed credit courses, maintain the Wausaukee Little Learners Daycare and offer free breakfast and lunch for all enrolled students.
The tax payer impact would be an estimated $34 per year per $100,000 of property value.
If the referendum does not pass, the district will look to make budget reductions to help reduce the level of deficit spending.
The Wausaukee School District referendum question will read on the ballot as follows:
“Shall the School District of Wausaukee be authorized to exceed state revenue limits on a non-recurring basis by $800,000.00 in the 2026-2027 school year, $1,000,000.00 in the 2027-2028 school year, $1,200,000.00 in the 2028-2029 school year, and $1,400,000.00 in the 2029-2030 school year, and $1,600,000.00 in the 2030-2031 school year, for nonrecurring purposes, with such revenues used to maintain and enhance the District’s educational programming and for operational and maintenance expenses?”
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