2026 Operational Referendum:
What You Need to Know
Lake Country School is exploring a short-term operational referendum to maintain stability while the district and community work toward long-term solutions. This referendum does not expand programs or add new positions — it simply protects what we have today while giving our community time to plan for the future responsibly and locally.
What Is an Operational Referendum?
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What Is an Operational Referendum? *
An operational referendum allows a school district to temporarily exceed the state-imposed revenue limit to fund day-to-day operations such as staffing, utilities, student services, and classroom support. It is not for buildings or construction.
Operational Referendum
To pay for ongoing, day-to-day expenses.
Why districts use them:
More than half of Wisconsin school districts rely on operational referendums because state revenue limits haven’t kept pace with inflation for over a decade.
Capital Referendum
To pay for large, one-time construction or renovation projects.
What the Referendum Funds / Does Not Fund
What This Does Cover
Classroom staffing
Core academic programs
Student support services
Instructional materials
Daily operations (utilities, transportation, safety)
Stability during consolidation planning
What This Does Not Cover
New programs
New positions
Building projects
Capital improvements
Major expansions
This referendum is about stability — not expansion.
How We Got Here (Short Version)
This is a statewide issue. NOT a local mismanagement issue.
State revenue limits have increased far below inflation for more than a decade. Meanwhile, the cost of running a school has risen each year. LCS has already reduced more than $1.6 million from its budget — through staffing adjustments, program restructuring, and benefit redesign — but these cuts cannot close a statewide structural gap.
Estimated Tax Impact
Think of it as one coffee a month to keep LCS strong and community-led.
Why Not Consolidate Now?
Consolidation is not simply moving students.
It’s a multi-year, state-defined legal process that requires aligning:
governance
policies
curriculum
pay scales & contracts
HR systems
budgeting
technology
facilities planning
AND it requires yes votes from both communities.
The referendum provides the stability needed to explore
consolidation responsibly over the next several years.
What Happens Without Additional Revenue
Without additional revenue, the district will face significant reductions. Class sizes, programming, and student supports will be affected. The fund balance is projected to go negative by 2028–29, which is not allowed under Wisconsin law.
A “no” vote doesn’t avoid change. It reduces our ability to guide it locally.
What a Yes Vote Protects
The teachers, staff, and programs our kids count on every single day
A safe, calm, well-supervised building. The kind that keeps everyone’s blood pressure lower (teachers AND parents)
Reasonable class sizes where kids are known, supported, and not lost in the shuffle
The programs, supports, and learning experiences we still have. And slowing the loss of anything more
The warm, connected culture LCS families are proud of (and brag about to neighbors)
Our ability to thoughtfully plan a consolidation with intention, not in crisis mode
Local decision-making. Because Lake Country should write its own story, not wait for Madison to do it for us
Financial stability that keeps the district creditworthy and operations predictable
A stable school environment where kids can focus on learning (and maybe even remember their lunchbox)