Wisconsin voters approved approximately 55% of school funding referendum requests statewide in last week's election, according to a report published November 9 by Civic Media. Out of 79 ballot questions, 44 passed and 35 failed. The outcome represents a marked drop from prior years, when voters showed stronger support for local property tax increases to fund schools.
The decline has been steady and significant. In April, 61% of referendum requests won approval. Data from the Wisconsin Policy Forum shows that in 2024, the approval rate stood at 70%; in 2022, it reached 80%; and in 2020, it hit 85%. Schools have grown reliant on these ballot measures to cover basic operating expenses like electricity bills, facility upkeep, and program costs, as well as salaries and benefits for teachers and staff. Meanwhile, 62% of Wisconsin public schools received notice from the state Department of Public Instruction that they'd get less state aid for the 2026-27 school year than the previous year. The current state budget provided no funding increases for 2026 or 2027.
State Superintendent Jill Underly described the dissolution of Hustisford School District in Dodge County, which the State Board approved immediately after the election, as "a casualty of decades of an antiquated, broken school funding formula." The tiny district had faced financial struggles partly due to insufficient state funding and five consecutive failed referendum attempts, with the latest defeat in April triggering the dissolution process. Heather DuBois Bourenane, executive director of the Wisconsin Public Education Network, called the overall results a "mixed bag," noting that while most referendums passed, "the ones that didn't are just gutting." Districts where voters rejected funding requests will now weigh service cuts, staff reductions, school consolidations, or even dissolution.
Underly expressed hope that incoming Democratic Gov.-elect David Crowley and a Democratic-controlled state Assembly and Senate could deliver "meaningful change" to Wisconsin's school funding system. DuBois Bourenane said there's "a lot of energy right now" around the possibility of reform, pointing to potential actions like repealing Act 10, Wisconsin's union-restricting law, and requiring property tax bills to show the cost of the state's school voucher program. She urged lawmakers not to wait for the next budget cycle, suggesting a bill to provide 60% funding for special education could be signed quickly. However, Crowley has indicated he'd convene a blue ribbon commission to examine Wisconsin's tax system, including property taxes' role in school funding, before making changes. Senate Democratic Leader Dianne Hesselbein said in late September that overhauling the state's school funding formula could take "a multi-year" process.
DuBois Bourenane dismissed the commission idea as the "last thing" Wisconsin needs, arguing "there is no mystery here" about what's broken. She noted that a bipartisan blue ribbon commission nearly 10 years ago spent two years developing recommendations, including tying per-pupil funding to inflation, but many went unaddressed by the Republican-led Legislature. "Those recommendations sit unfulfilled on a dusty shelf," she said, adding that Crowley could simply implement them. With about half of last week's referendums failing, DuBois Bourenane warned that spring ballots will be packed with funding requests again—and schools can't afford to wait for the next budget cycle to get help.