School District of Superior

The operational referendum that will appear on the November 5th ballot is a direct result of the lack of funding for public education by the state.  Since 1993 the state of Wisconsin has put a cap on the amount of revenue that a school district can receive from the state and from local property taxpayers.  For the last decade that limit has not kept pace with inflation which means a schools expenses have been rising higher then the amount of money a district is receiving.

This is not a problem unique to Superior, it is statewide.  85% of the school districts in the state of Wisconsin have asked for an operational referendum, we are a part of the 15% that hasn’t. 

The School District of Superior has made significant reductions in recent years to ensure a balanced annual school budget. The question to our community in November is whether we should continue making these deep cuts that will impact activities and services to students.

Proposed Operational Referendum

BE IT RESOLVED by the School Board of the School District of Superior, Douglas County, Wisconsin that the revenues included in the School District budget be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $2,500,000 per year for the 2024-2025 school year and the 2025-2026 school year, by $3,500,000 for the 2026-2027 school year, by $4,500,000 for the 2027-2028 school year and by $5,500,000 for the 2028-2029 school year, for non-recurring purposes consisting of operational and maintenance expenses, including for educational programming, facility maintenance and security updates.