Wisconsin Context: Why Many Communities
Are Turning to Referendums

Across Wisconsin, school districts are facing a shared challenge: the cost of educating students continues to rise, while state revenue limits restrict how much school funding can increase each year.

Utilities, transportation, staffing, special education services, and instructional resources all cost more than they did just a few years ago. At the same time, Wisconsin’s school funding structure places limits on how districts can respond to those increases through regular budgets alone.

As a result, many school districts across the state - both large and small, rural and suburban - are turning to time-limited operational referendums as a way to maintain existing programs and services.

Operational referendums are commonly used to:

  • Maintain current staffing levels

  • Preserve academic and student support programs

  • Avoid deeper budget reductions

  • Provide short-term financial stability while longer-term planning continues

These referendums are not about expansion or new initiatives. In most cases, they are designed to help districts continue doing what they are already doing — serving students and supporting classrooms — within the current state funding framework.

Lake Country School is not unique in navigating these pressures. Communities across Wisconsin are having similar conversations about how best to support their local schools, and operational referendums have become a common, voter-driven tool for addressing those challenges.

This broader context matters as Lake Country voters consider what is right for our students, families, and community.

Learn More About School Funding in Wisconsin

For those who would like additional background on how public schools are funded in Wisconsin and why revenue limits affect local budgets, the following nonpartisan resources provide helpful explanations:

These resources are provided for general context and education.

How State Funding Decisions Affect Local Property Taxes

Property tax increases are often attributed to local school districts, but many of the biggest drivers are determined at the state level. Revenue limits, inflation, state aid decisions, and statewide policy choices all influence how much of school funding is raised locally through property taxes.

Understanding these statewide factors can help explain why many communities across Wisconsin are seeing similar trends. Regardless of district size or local decisions.

For a broader, nonpartisan explanation of how these factors are affecting communities across Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Association of School Boards provides a helpful overview:

Read the statewide explanation (external commentary) →
(Dan Rossmiller, Wisconsin Association of School Boards)

Statewide perspective on property taxes