Ballot Language
Shall the River Ridge School District, Grant County, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $1,100,000 per year for three years, beginning with the 2024-2025 school year and ending with the 2026-2027 school year, for non-recurring purposes consisting of operational costs to maintain instructional programs, staffing, technology and facilities management?
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the ballot language say?
Shall the River Ridge School District, Grant County, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $1,100,000 per year for three years, beginning with the 2024-2025 school year and ending with the 2026-2027 school year, for non-recurring purposes consisting of operational costs to maintain instructional programs, staffing, technology and facilities management?
Why is the River Ridge School District having a referendum?
The school district has experienced significant inflationary increases to its operating expenses over the past two years which were primarily supported by federal grants. Those grants are no longer available to the school district beginning with the 2024-25 budget. State revenue limit laws require the school district to ask voters for permission to generate additional revenue through referendum to exceed the revenue limit. The school district's last operational referendum approved by voters was held February 18, 2014, which allowed the school district to exceed the revenue limit by $350,000 each year. However, the current year's revenue limit, which includes the 2014 Referendum allows the district to receive only $250,000 more revenue than it allowed eight years ago. The 2024 Operational Referendum would provide funds to pay operating costs to maintain instructional programs, staffing, technology and facilities management.
What is a "revenue limit"?
The revenue limit is a state law (Section 121.91, Wisconsin school districts beginning in 1993. It limits the amount of revenues a school district receives from local property taxes and state equalization aid. The revenue limit is calculated each year using the school district's September resident enrollment count. If a school district's resident enrollment declines or increases, the revenue allowed under the limit also declines or increases. The law requires the school district to ask voter permission, through an operational referendum, to increase revenues by exceeding the revenue limit and the levy of taxes.
What does "non-recurring" mean?
The word "non-recurring" means there is a specific time period with a start and end date. The tax levy revenue to support the school district's operating budget from the 2024 Operational Referendum would be authorized to begin with the 2024-2025 school and end with the 2026-2027 school year.
Does the school district receive aid from the state?
The River Ridge School District receives state equalization aid for eligible operating and debt service expenses under a three-tiered formula designed to provide property tax relief. The state shared in the current budget year's expenses by providing state aid equal to 69% of those costs. State aid is determined each year under a formula that considers a school district's operating and debt service expenses, student enrollment and property valuation. The state notifies the school district of how much of the allowable revenue (calculated by the revenue limit formula) is coming from the state, and the remainder comes from local property taxes. State aid is used for property tax relief and not as additional revenue for a school district. If a district receives less aid, taxes go up. If it receives more aid, taxes go down. Neither scenario gives the district more revenue.
If the 2024 Operational Referendum is approved, under the 2023-2024 budget year aid formula, the state would share in funding these costs in third tier of the formula at 36%. State aid is received the year after the operating expense occurs and helps offset the impact on the tax levy. The state aid formula is subject to legislative changes every two years as part of the state's biennial budget and is not guaranteed.
Are other Wisconsin school districts holding operational referendums?
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. Between 2012 and 2023, there were 642 operational referendums.
Below are November 2024 Operational Referendums in nearby School Districts:
Albany School District Argyle School District
Belmont School District Cuba City School District
Darlington Community School District De Soto Area School District
Dodgeville School District Iowa- Grant School District
Ithaca School District Juda School District
La Farge School District Monroe School District
Mineral Point School District Platteville School District
Prairie du Chien Area School District Reedsburg School District
When and where do I vote?
On November 5, 2024, all polling places open at 7:00 A.M. and close at 8:00 P.M. All questions concerning your polling place should be directed to the municipal clerk in your town or village. You can register to vote, check your voter registration status, find your polling place, see your sample ballot and request an absentee ballot at the MY VOTE WISCONSIN WEBSITE - https://myvote.wi.gov/