The first question is a capital referendum. Our community is being asked to provide a total of $60 million over 20 years to allow the District to address all deferred maintenance at Eisenhower, Madison, Roosevelt, Jefferson, and Washington Elementary Schools, along with Wauwatosa Montessori/Fisher. An approved capital referendum would also ensure Eisenhower, Madison, Roosevelt, Jefferson, and Washington Elementary Schools, Montessori/Fisher, and Wauwatosa East and West High Schools meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) facilities standards. On the ballot, it will read as follows:

Shall the Wauwatosa School District, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $60,000,000 for the public purpose of paying the costs of school building and facility projects consisting of: deferred maintenance and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) facilities standards capital projects at Eisenhower, Madison, Roosevelt, Jefferson, and Washington Elementary Schools, and Montessori/Fisher and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) facilities standards capital projects at Wauwatosa East and Wauwatosa West High Schools?

The second question is a non-recurring operational referendum. It asks voters to approve raising the District’s revenue limit by $16.1 million per year, beginning with the 2025-26 school year and ending with the 2028-29 school year. On the ballot, it will read as follows:

Shall the Wauwatosa School District, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, be authorized to exceed the statutory revenue limit by $16,100,000 per year beginning with the 2025-2026 school year and ending with the 2028-2029 school year, for non-recurring purposes consisting of funding operational expenses, including salaries, benefits, and instructional and co-curricular programming?

Like many school districts statewide, the Wauwatosa School District is facing financial challenges due to factors largely out of our control:

• In Wisconsin, a state-imposed revenue limit restricts the amount of money school districts can receive through state aid and local property taxes. The funding formula used to calculate the limit was created more than 30 years ago and is outdated. As a result, the Wauwatosa School District does not receive adequate levels of funding for student programs and services. 

• Expenses are also on the rise, affecting all aspects of our district’s operations. This is especially true in areas like mental health and special education, where the District does not receive enough funding to provide state- and federally mandated services for our students. 

• Costs are on the rise, including for things like transportation, supplies, equipment, and utilities.

Because state funding has not kept pace with inflation, the District is facing a budget shortfall of $9.3 million for the 2024-25 school year—and $61 million over the next five years. The District plans to use its fund balance to fill this budget gap for the 2024-25 school year. However, this is not a sound long-term financial strategy. 

Beyond this upcoming school year, the District must either significantly reduce expenses or seek additional revenue to balance the budget.

The Wauwatosa School District has a series of facility needs across our schools: 

• At least $150 million in deferred maintenance needs have been identified across all our school buildings.

• Inequity exists among our elementary school buildings. 

• Our secondary schools, which were not designed to accommodate the current 21st century learning needs of our students, contain foundational systems and structures that are well past their end-of-life expectancy.

An approved capital referendum would have a property tax impact of $0.43 per year for every $1,000 of assessed property value. The owner of a home assessed at $300,000 would see a tax impact of $129 per year (or $10.75 per month).