Wisconsin
School debt repayment should be a priority, not deferred | Opinion
Debt is not inherently irresponsible. Schools need safe, functional facilities. But when debt becomes permanent, it stops being a tool and starts being a constraint.
Opinion: History of Wisconsin budget veto process
When Tony Evers turned two years of school funding into 402 years, he was following tradition of Wisconsin governors wielding unique veto power.
Kristin Brey, Bill Schulz/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Each year, Wisconsin property taxpayers contribute more than $6.5 billion in local school levies. Those dollars are commonly understood to support classrooms, teachers and student services. In reality, a large — and growing — portion is diverted to debt service, a non-negotiable financial obligation before a single classroom dollar is spent.
In fact, the debt-service share of the local levy continues to grow, not because students are receiving more, but because past borrowing decisions increasingly dictate today’s budgets. Fortunately, at least one school district is showing that a debt free future is possible.
Statewide, nearly 18% of all local school levies — about $1.18 billion each year — are used to service debt. In practical terms, almost one out of every five local school tax dollars is unavailable for instruction or student support because it has already been committed elsewhere. Unfortunately, long-term debt has become a routine feature of school finance rather than an exception.
Looking at debt on a per-student basis makes the impact clearer. Across Wisconsin, districts levy an average of $1,483 per student each year simply to service existing debt. In districts that carry any debt at all — roughly 85% of districts statewide —that figure rises to $1,550 per student, before any money is spent in a classroom.
At the same time, Wisconsin is experiencing sustained enrollment decline, and while per-pupil revenue limits may decline with enrollment, existing district debt does not shrink when enrollment falls. The obligation stays fixed, and the burden shifts. Even if no new debt is added, fewer students are left to carry the same costs.
Over a ten-year period, a 1.5% statewide enrollment decline — far slower than the actual current rate of decline — would result in a 16% increase in per-student burden without a single new referendum, project, or improvement.
Debt-free school districts are rare
Against that backdrop, debt-free districts have become rare — especially among larger systems. Among the 100 largest school districts in Wisconsin, only four operate without any debt service levies. When the Waukesha School District retires its final obligations on April 1, 2026, it will be the largest debt-free school district in the state — by a lot.
Serving 10,600 students, Waukesha will be more than 6,000 students larger than the next-largest debt-free district. The next few —Tomah (67th), followed by Merrill Area (92nd) and Arrowhead (98th) — sit near the bottom of the top-100 by enrollment or just beyond it. No other district operating at Waukesha’s scale is debt-free.
That matters. It shows that operating without long-term debt is not a function of being small or rural. It is a function of choices: how projects are scoped, how debt is structured and whether repayment is treated as a priority rather than deferred indefinitely.
Homeowners shocked by schools’ part of tax bills
While many homeowners have been shocked to see the school portions of their property tax bills increase exponentially in recent years, Waukesha’s has declined, on average, with fluctuations that reflect the year-to-year complexity of the funding formula.
The school tax levy increased by 2.25% this past year because of shifts in state aid allocation beyond the district’s control, including millions more going to Milwaukee for passing it’s own massive referendum. While the board could have taken steps to keep the levy flat, instead, they followed through to retire debt and recognized a 26% savings on total borrowing costs ($1.5M less than the anticipated $6 million 10-year repayment).
Meanwhile, referenda themselves have become routine. Last year, dozens of operating and capital referenda passed across Wisconsin. This spring’s ballot again includes districts seeking additional authority — often not for discrete, time-limited projects, but to cover ongoing maintenance, capital costs, or basic operations. Increasingly, districts are asking voters for more money simply to operate. Over the past three election cycles (spring 2024-spring 2025), Wisconsin districts have placed $3.8 billion in operating and capital borrowing referendum requests on local ballots.
There are consequences to this approach. When districts rely on recurring referenda and long-term debt to sustain basic functions, strategic consolidation and shared-service models become far more difficult. Few communities are willing to absorb another district’s long-term debt, particularly when those obligations were incurred under different assumptions and governance.
Debt is not inherently irresponsible. Schools need safe, functional facilities. But when debt becomes permanent, it stops being a tool and starts being a constraint. And when nearly one-fifth of all local school taxes are treated as a non-negotiable obligation before student and classroom needs are even considered, flexibility disappears.
Fiscal discipline is not measured by how easily costs are added. It is measured by whether leaders are willing — and able — to start paying them off.
Will Flanders is the Research Director for the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty.
Manuel Franco claims his $768 million Powerball jackpot
Manuel Franco, 24, of West Allis was revealed Tuesday as the winner of the $768.4 million Powerball jackpot.
Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 3, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 3 drawing
Midday: 5-8-9
Evening: 9-6-3
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 3 drawing
Midday: 9-6-7-1
Evening: 0-4-5-7
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning All or Nothing numbers from May 3 drawing
Midday: 01-02-07-08-12-13-14-15-18-21-22
Evening: 02-03-05-06-07-08-11-14-15-19-22
Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Badger 5 numbers from May 3 drawing
07-10-12-13-22
Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning SuperCash numbers from May 3 drawing
09-11-18-23-26-38, Doubler: N
Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
- Prizes up to $599: Can be claimed at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.
- Prizes from $600 to $199,999: Can be claimed in person at a Lottery Office. By mail, send the signed ticket and a completed claim form available on the Wisconsin Lottery claim page to: Prizes, PO Box 777 Madison, WI 53774.
- Prizes of $200,000 or more: Must be claimed in person at the Madison Lottery office. Call the Lottery office prior to your visit: 608-261-4916.
Can Wisconsin lottery winners remain anonymous?
No, according to the Wisconsin Lottery. Due to the state’s open records laws, the lottery must, upon request, release the name and city of the winner. Other information about the winner is released only with the winner’s consent.
When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Super Cash: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Evening): 9 p.m. CT daily.
- Megabucks: 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Badger 5: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
That lucky feeling: Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
Feeling lucky? WI man wins $768 million Powerball jackpot **
WI Lottery history: Top 10 Powerball and Mega Million jackpots
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.
A better life is in sight for dozens of dogs.
PAWS Chicago welcomed 25 beagles from a massive rescue operation on Saturday.
Last week, more than a thousand dogs were rescued from Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, after weeks of protests over their treatment of the dogs. Ridglan Farms agreed to sell 1,500 of the facility’s roughly 2,000 beagles, which were then transferred to rescue organizations across the country, including PAWS Chicago.
Celene Mielcarek, PAWS Chicago chief program officer, explained what’s next for the dogs as they begin their new lives.
“These beagles have lived their lives in isolation. They’ve lived their lives in cages inside. We’re going to make sure that they are healthy. They’re each going to get tucked in by a volunteer into warm bedding. They’re each going to get a yummy dinner tonight, and they’re going to start that new chapter of their life,” she said.
She says it will take some time for the beagles to get used to being dogs and understanding what it’s like to live in a home. To help with that, they will be sent to experienced foster homes that will help them understand human connection.
Once the beagles are ready, they’ll head to the PAWS Chicago Lincoln Park adoption center to meet their forever family.
(WLUK) — Just two days after he met with the FBI and Secret Service, Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad has entered the Wisconsin governor’s race.
Bangstad made the announcement this afternoon during an event that was posted on the company’s Facebook page.
He says he wanted someone to “stand up to Trump” and that his main concerns is “saving our democracy.”
Bangstad also shared his dissatisfaction with the current group of candidates for the crowded Democratic primary later this year
“I never wanted to do this,” Bangstad said. “At least I’m part of the conversation that I feel like everybody needs to be hearing right now.”
The brewing company owner was under fire this week after he posted “well, we almost got #freebeerday” shortly after the latest assassination attempt on President Donald Trump.
Bangstad has been a outspoken critic of the president. His company currently has a promotion promising free beer on the day Trump dies, which has drawn heavy criticism in the past.
In addition, his company sells merchandise that’s critical of the president, including t-shirts that read “I wish it was free beer day at Minocqua Brewing Company” and “Is he dead yet?”
Bangstad did not share if he would be aiming for a partisan endorsement, or the status of various required documents to enter the race.
He previously ran for a seat in the 34th District of the Wisconsin Assembly in 2020, but did not win the race. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin did donate to that campaign.
The Democratic primary is up in the air, with several state legislators and officials already in the race.
These include State Rep. Francesca Hong, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany is the front-runner, following an endorsement from President Trump that led to Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann dropping out of the race.
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