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Come Nov. 5, nearly half of all Wisconsin school districts will have gone to referendum in 2024, asking for almost $6 billion in total from Wisconsin residents in districts scattered across the state.

At least 192 school districts — of the state’s 421 — will have posed 241 referendum questions to residents of their districts this year, according to data from the state Department of Public Instruction. That includes seven school districts that posed 10 questions in February, 86 districts that posed 93 questions in April, one district that posed one question in August, and at least 121 school districts that will pose some 137 questions to voters in November. (Some school districts ask voters to consider more than one referendum question on the same ballot.) 

The push from districts for additional funding comes as the debate over state aid for K-12 public schools has become central to many competitive legislative races. Lawmakers increased funding for public schools by $1 billion during the state’s most recent budget cycle, though that increase was tied to additional funding for public charter and private voucher schools. Gov. Tony Evers and legislative Democrats are likely to once again push for additional funding during budget negotiations next summer.

Federal pandemic relief funds that Wisconsin school districts have been able to spend since 2020 will expire this month. 

Voters approved 62 of the 103 school referendums on the primary and general election ballots this spring — a record number since at least 2000. The 60% approval rate was the lowest in a midterm or presidential election year since 2010, according to the Wisconsin Policy Forum. 

Why are schools pushing to referendum?

As districts across the state grapple with declining enrollment, many are forced to close and consolidate schools in their district to cut back on costs, particularly operating expenses. The Kenosha Unified School District closed six of its schools this year due to declining enrollment after facing a $15 million deficit.

“Schools are funded based on the number of students we have, so as we have fewer students, our budget shrinks,” Kenosha Superintendent Jeffrey Weiss told Wisconsin Watch. 

Wisconsin’s per-pupil K-12 spending has increased at a lower rate than every other state in the nation besides Indiana and Idaho between 2002 and 2020, according to the Policy Forum.

Enrollment losses create conditions where costs exceed the per-pupil revenue available to the district. State law allows school districts to then go to referendum to ask their voters to authorize their district to exceed their revenue caps at the expense of property taxpayers. 

In 2009, the state Legislature decoupled per-pupil revenue limits from inflation. Without matching inflation, school districts have been slashing their budgets for years. 

“Keeping the revenue limit up with inflation is probably the biggest need that the district has,” Weiss said. “For 2025-26, we’re looking at another significant deficit.” 

The La Crosse School District’s November referendum is asking for $53.5 million to build a new elementary school and add new classrooms to another. The district would subsequently close multiple elementary schools and relocate students.

“Frankly, when you have fewer kids you need fewer buildings,” Superintendent Aaron Engel said. “Changing revenue limits isn’t going to change the need for school districts across the state, if they’re larger like ours, to close buildings and consolidate.”

Engel said tying the revenue limits to inflation was a great model, and the gap between inflationary increases and what they are provided is now over $3,000 per student. That represents $18 million in lost revenue over the last 16 years. This significantly affects the district’s ability to operate its schools, he said.

Declining enrollment

There are multiple factors contributing to declining enrollment in schools, one of the largest being declining birth rates. But housing shortages in some districts like La Crosse have also made matters worse.

Much of the housing being built in La Crosse is multifamily or medium-density housing, according to Engel. The district has found that multifamily housing generates far fewer school-aged children than single-family housing.

“There isn’t really space for new housing or single-family homes,” Engel said. “With declining birth rates and people having fewer kids in their households — naturally, with the same level of housing — our enrollment has declined.”

Private school vouchers and open enrollment have also contributed to declining enrollment, Engel said. The use of open enrollment in Wisconsin has increased over the last decade.

How will candidates for office address it? 

Seven-term Rep. Steve Doyle — a Democrat seeking reelection in the La Crosse area — said that having to push to referendum “is the worst way to do it” and that funding public schools shouldn’t be left up to the property taxpayers. 

“It’s really kind of a stab in the back when we’re having to approve a referendum that we know needs to be passed, but it really is covering something that the state should be covering,” Doyle said. 

Last year Doyle co-authored a bill that would have allowed public schools with failed referendums to benefit from the state’s increased revenue limits.

But Rep. Tom Michalski — a Republican from Elm Grove seeking a second term — said the issue in Wauwatosa’s school district isn’t funding, and “the billion dollars that we’re giving out … demonstrates that.”

The Wauwatosa School District will go to both capital and operational referendum this November, totaling $124.4 million. The district is expected to face a $9.3 million deficit this school year.

“I don’t think raising taxes is ever popular, but the citizens of Wauwatosa need to question what they’re getting for their money,” Michalski said of referendums in the district. “If the school has dropped in its performance over the past years, they should really look at where the money is going.”

Since the school district is “on the decline,” parents have every right to send their kids to a private school, Michalski said. If Wauwatosa schools can’t compete, “that is their problem.” 

Last year, Michalski co-sponsored legislation passed as part of a compromise between Republicans and Evers that raised revenue ceilings for public schools and increased tax funding for private voucher schools at the same time.

Jack Kelly contributed reporting to this story.

Forward is a look ahead at the week in Wisconsin government and politics from the Wisconsin Watch statehouse team.

Even with powerhouses Ohio State and Penn State sitting idle, the Big Ten had a solid week on the gridiron.

Indiana continued its high-scoring ways in a drubbing of UCLA, Nebraska dominated Northern Iowa, and the Oregon Ducks blew out the rival Beavers.

The lows included Wisconsin’s lop-sided loss to Alabama, Purdue’s 66-7 defeat at the hands of Notre Dame, and a narrow loss for the Washington Huskies in the Apple Cup.

Twice a week throughout the season, The Oregonian/OregonLive will check in with the Big Ten and highlight some of the stories we’re reading and watching from around the conference.

UCLA can’t compete with the Hoosiers

It was an inauspicious start to Big Ten play for UCLA, with Oregon coming to the Rose Bowl on Sept. 28 for the Ducks’ Big Ten opener. The Bruins lost, 42-13, to Indiana in their conference opener Saturday.

Indiana — fresh off dropping 77 points against Western Illinois — picked up 430 total yards against UCLA. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke was 25 of 33 for 307 yards and four touchdowns, while the Bruins’ only touchdown of the day came in the second quarter. It could be a long conference slate for DeShaun Foster’s team.

Before facing Oregon, the Bruins go on the road to LSU on Sept. 21 to wrap their non-conference schedule. No easy out.

Cougs run all over former Pac-12 pals

The Apple Cup ran concurrent with the Oregon-Oregon State game on Saturday, so some Ducks and Beavers fans might have missed a fun one. Washington State beat Washington, 24-19, led by the elusive abilities of quarterback John Mateer and a late defensie stop.

While Mateer completed just 50% of his passes and threw a pick, he was responsible for three total touchdowns including two on the ground. One of his rushing scores was for the highlight reel: a 30-yard scamper on 3rd and 20 to give the Cougars a lead at half.

Reeling after a rivalry loss, Washington opens Big Ten play on Saturday at home against Northwestern.

It ain’t easy being cheesy

The Wisconsin Badgers kept things close in the first quarter with Alabama, trailing just 7-3. But the Crimson Tide ground them into dust as the game progressed, ultimately winning 42-10.

Quarterback Jalen Milroe accounted for five total touchdowns for Alabama. Wisconsin’s varied and typically reliable rushing attack couldn’t break through, with Chez Mellusi leading the way with 66 yards on 11 carries and nobody else managing more than 39 yards.

The Badgers’ schedule doesn’t get any easier: after joining Oregon with a bye this week, Wisconsin heads to Los Angeles on Sept. 28 for a date with USC.

Keep on Huskin’

The Nebraska Cornhuskers’ winning ways continued on Saturday with a 34-3 win over Northern Iowa. Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola remained efficient beyond his years, going 17 of 23 for 247 yards and two touchdowns.

While the young signal-caller did throw a pick, it didn’t hurt Nebraska in the end. The Cornhuskers’ defense held UNI to 6 of 16 on third down and just three points despite the road team winning the time of possession battle by nearly 17 minutes.

That sort of strong defensive effort should carry over well in Big Ten play, which Nebraska opens up Friday against a fellow ranked, 3-0 team in Illinois.

–Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten Conference. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.

MADISON, WIS. — Alabama had goals of silencing the notoriously hostile Camp Randall Stadium environment throughout the week and the Crimson Tide prevailed with a resounding 42-10 victory over Wisconsin on Saturday.

Last week, The Crimson Tide beat South Florida 42-16 at home. The final score didn’t reflect the quality of the game though as Alabama only held a one-point lead at 14-13 heading into the fourth quarter. The Tide then went on to score 21 unanswered points over the final six minutes.

However, Alabama’s fourth-quarter momentum against South Florida clearly continued on Saturday on the Badgers’ turf from practically start to finish. This dominant road victory, the first one in the Kalen DeBoer era, had plenty of things to dissect from it. Here are five takeaways:

Simply put Alabama’s 52.5 points per game over the first two contests of the season were extremely impressive and quarterback Jalen Milroe is perhaps the biggest reason why as he has struggled to NOT reach the endzone.

This continued on Saturday against Wisconsin as the true dual threat recorded 14 carries for 75 yards and two touchdowns, while also completing 12-of-17 attempts for 196 yards and three touchdowns.

Milroe’s scoring numbers put him in elite company as the following quarterbacks have had three consecutive games of two-plus passing and two-plus rushing touchdowns since 2008: Florida’s Tim Tebow (2008), Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick (2010), Northern Illinois’ Jordan Lynch (2012), Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel (2012) and Milroe (Saturday).

After being benched prior to the third game of last season against South Florida, Milroe earned back the starting role the next week against then-No. 15 Ole Miss and had a stellar outing. This flipped a switch and the Tide won every game for the rest of the regular season, and its SEC Championship victory over No. 1 Georgia gave Alabama a spot in the four-team CFP. After three games into this season, it appears Milroe’s momentum toward the end of last year is still very much intact.

Despite the dominant victories in the first two games, Alabama’s negative-2 turnover margin ranked 104th out of 134 FBS teams. In fact, Michigan transfer defensive back Keon Sabb’s two interceptions in the season opener against Western Kentucky were the Tide’s only takeaways coming into Saturday.

But Alabama won that battle against Wisconsin due to their hard-hitting ability at all three levels of the defense. Linebacker Deontae Lawson, defensive back Malachi Moore, defensive lineman LT Overton and linebacker Que Robinson each forced a fumble and two of them were recovered by the Tide within Wisconsin’s 30-yard line.

While Alabama didn’t haul in any interceptions on Saturday, the Crimson Tide still interrupted the passing lanes throughout the afternoon. Wisconsin starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke suffered an injury in the first quarter and backup Braedyn Locke filled his role for the rest of the game. Locke went 13-of-26 for 125 yards and Alabama recorded a very respectable seven pass breakups.

“Those two strips could have been really big for us,” DeBoer said during the postgame press conference. “Getting one early, just getting that momentum, it just becomes contagious. And I love it. The guys have a lot of confidence. We almost had, I think, an interception there with Keon early, too. So those guys are playing aggressive, playing competent, and they’re going to come into bunches, and I feel like we’re just the tip of the iceberg taking the ball away.”

Winning the turnover battle will be crucial once SEC competition begins, starting with the highly anticipated home matchup against No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs on Sept. 28. If Alabama doesn’t come out victorious in this category for that upcoming evening, the final score at Saban Field in Bryant-Denny Stadium may not favor the Crimson Tide.

There was a ton of hype around former Texas A&M defensive lineman LT Overton, as the former five-star recruit transferred to Alabama this past December. He was considered the No. 3 player in the state of Georgia and the No. 4 defensive lineman in the class. Overton was the fifth-highest-ranked recruit in the infamous class that sparked a war of words between former Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher and former Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban.

Overton played in 23 games across two seasons for the Aggies and tallied 48 tackles. The defensive lineman has a built-in connection to Tuscaloosa as his father, Milton Overton, served as associate athletic director at The Capstone from 2009-15. 

Overton was kept relatively quiet in the trenches during the Tide’s first two games, but that wasn’t the case on Saturday. In the first half alone against the Badgers, Overton logged six tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and one forced fumble. His stats remained the same for the rest of the game but did add to Alabama’s plethora of pass breakups in the second half.

“You expect that from him,” DeBoer said of Overton’s performance. “He’s just going to be continually coming after you, you know, and it’s not just against one or the other, runner or pass, it’s both. He’s just a physical presence in there. Love the way he plays. It’s a business-like approach that he has, whether it’s in practice or games. I just got a lot of trust and confidence that he’s going to bring his best. And he fits so well within our scheme. I know we’re very confident, whatever it is, if he’s got something we’re asking to do, that he’s getting it done — making sure he takes care of his responsibility and then goes and eats and goes and makes plays.”

After his performance against Wisconsin, the competitive BANDIT position could be his to lose for the next couple of games, as months of excitement surrounding his name and status seemed to start to pay off on Saturday afternoon.

Before transferring to Alabama from Miami (OH) on April 21, kicker Graham Nicholson won the 2023 Lou Groza Award after making 27 of his 28 field goal attempts and converting on 35 of 37 extra point attempts. He came to Tuscaloosa to replace NCAA all-time scoring leader Will Reichard and was listed as an AP Preseason All-American First Team member.

Alabama’s explosive offense through the first two games didn’t require a field goal attempt, as the Tide very rarely reached fourth-down while over midfield. While this a good problem to have, like the turnover battle, once SEC competition occurs, field goal attempts will be an absolute certainty.

The first field goal opportunity of the season for Alabama came on Saturday, as Nicholson was ready to display his first impression to Crimson Tide fans. But the reigning “top college football placekicker” missed 46 yards out midway through the first quarter.

Of course, Nicholson shouldn’t be judged for one kick, but as previously stated, the Tide will need him multiple times per game for a large portion of the rest of the regular season. Hopefully he’ll shake this off before then and prove why he won the esteemed annual award not so long ago. To end this takeaway on a high note, Nicholson went 6-for-6 on extra point attempts and is 13-of-13 in that department through the first three games.

Hands down the biggest question coming into Saturday revolved around Alabama’s offensive line. Last week against South Florida, the Crimson Tide entered the fourth quarter with just a 14-13 lead. Offensive line penalties were harming Alabama all night as the starting front five finished the game with nine penalties, two of which wiped out touchdowns. Milroe was also constantly pressured throughout the first three quarters, making it very difficult to move the ball downfield.

A major reason for their struggles was due to the absence of left tackle Kadyn Proctor, who was a late scratch minutes before the season opener against Western Kentucky due to a shoulder injury. Multiple players on the line had to be moved around against South Florida, but the Freshman All-American’s return against Wisconsin made all the difference.

Milroe’s big day on both the air—when finding wide receivers Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard and tight end Josh Cuevas—and the ground were largely due to the extra time in the pocket given by the offensive line. The same goes for running back Jam Miller, who rushed for 71 yards on just nine carries, including a 34-yard touchdown built by a perfect shift by the front five.

“I thought they just did a consistent job of making sure Jalen could stay upright, wasn’t rushed, hurried,” DeBoer said. “It’s amazing how your play calls can just be so much easier when you’re in down and distances that are much more favorable when you can protect your quarterback and make every throw you could where there’s not throwaways where you’re getting hit. And I thought there was just good gelling considering it was really their first game action altogether.”

The sack and penalty numbers also decreased against Wisconsin as Alabama had two false starts and two sacks allowed. That said, the first sack was on a scramble by Milroe, which resulted in a one-yard loss, and the second sack put backup quarterback Ty Simpson on the ground with under three minutes left in regulation, as the game was already decided at that point.