Southern Door School Holding Referendum Meeting Feb. 4

On Saturday, Feb. 4, from 9-9:45 am in the high school library, the Southern Door County School District will hold a brief meeting to present background information about the upcoming referendum to exceed the revenue limits. The referendum question will be presented to Southern Door Voters on Tuesday, April 4, 2017.

The meeting will feature Superintendent Patricia Vickman and Business Manager Mark Logan presenting the background information that was shared at Board of Education meetings regarding the need for an operational referendum. There may be a quorum of board members in attendance.

An operational referendum asks voter permission to exceed the state-imposed revenue limit for the purpose of funding annual school operations. It is not a referendum to incur debt for construction of new schools or remodeling current schools. A non-recurring referendum asks voter permission to exceed the state imposed revenue limit for a set number of years, after which authorization expires and revenue limits return to state imposed levels.

The current school funding formula does not allow increases in school district revenues to keep pace with inflation and places a greater burden for supporting education on the local taxpayers. The need for an operational referendum is something which impacts not only the Southern Door School district but all the Door County schools as well as many other districts in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance recently reported “To get more money into school budgets without increasing property taxes, lawmakers must either 1) increase revenue limits and general aid at the same time or 2) increase the per pupil categorical aid payments to school districts.” In the coming months the district will be offering more informational sessions throughout the community, giving voters the opportunity to learn more about the district’s need for the proposed operational referendum.