SDWD referendum passes with just over 54% of vote

A $1.2 million referendum over the next four years ($4.8 million total), which will last through the 2025-26 school year, passed in Tuesday’s election with just over 54% of district voters approving the measure. The referendum will not raise the property tax levy for the 2022-23 school year, and is projected to have a negligible impact on the levy and mill rate during its lifespan.

The referendum was approved with 2,957 votes in favor of the extra funding, as opposed to 2,477 votes against it.

“The impact of this support will be felt by every student who attends our schools, across all grade levels,” said district administrator Terry Slack in an email. “We are extremely grateful for the engagement and input of our community throughout this process. We know that not everyone supported the measure on the ballot. However, we have been able to have some productive conversations about the future of our school district and the students we serve.”

Slack added that with the passage of the referendum, the district will be able to continue its level of services. This includes maintaining small, manageable class sizes, continuing to offer a variety of academic and extracurricular opportunities, retaining educators and other faculty, and avoiding budget cuts in crucial areas around the district.

Even with the passage of the $1.2 million referendum, the district’s mill rate, which is the amount taxed per $100,000 of property value, is lower in 2022-23 than it was last year. The current school year’s mill rate is $6.77, which is nearly one dollar less than it was in 2021-22, at $7.76. Slack attributed this to an increase in state aid to offset the amount approved with the referendum.

“This vital support now allows the district to keep all its schools open and running with a strong focus on project based learning, recruitment and retention of exemplary faculty and staff and mental health provisions for students,” said School District of Wisconsin board President Jennifer Gavinski in an email.

Gavinski also said that passing the referendum allows the district to continue improving its arsenal of electives and dual credit (high school and college) opportunities in areas such as culinary arts, agriculture and technical education. The district’s students’ progress in math and English/language arts can be better maintained as well, according to Gavinski.

During the last few weeks leading up to the election, Slack and Gavinski discussed how passing the measure would allow the district to continue discussions regarding an eventual replacement for Lake Delton Elementary School. The school is in need of repairs beyond what the district would deem as cost-effective and the passage of the referendum prevents it from having to close, which would have caused its students to be transferred to Spring Hill Elementary School.

“The taxpayers of our unique, five county-wide school district, have positively spoken and shown their belief in our communities’ youth and schools,” said Gavinski in her email, adding that the district will continue to “conservatively budget.”

Allison Hoch, the principal at Wisconsin Dells High School, expressed gratitude to Slack and the board for leadership and fiscal planning that facilitated the referendum’s passage. She also pointed out how school funding is an issue across the state. Ninety-two districts, including the School District of Wisconsin Dells, had referendums on the Nov. 8 ballot.

“SDWD is fortunate that our referendum will not increase the mill rate nor taxes and will allow us to keep moving forward for our students and community,” said Hoch in an email.

Another one of those 92 districts with a fall referendum proposal, the Adams-Friendship Area School District, did not have the same result. Voters in that district rejected a $12.6 million total referendum over the same time span (2022-23 through 2025-26 school years). The margin was close, with 2,988 “no” votes to 2,761 in favor of it.