OPERATIONAL REFERENDUM

An operational referendum is a voter-approved measure that allows a Wisconsin school district to exceed the state-imposed revenue limit. These funds cover day-to-day expenses, such as staffing, academic programs, student services, and operational costs.Operational referendums are a common source of critical financial support for school districts in Wisconsin, helping to avoid significant cuts to programs and services for students.

An operational referendum lets local voters decide if a school district can receive more money than the limit set by the state. The state restricts how much money a school district can receive from state aid and local property taxes. If a district needs more than that limit allows, it must ask local voters for approval.This money covers everyday school costs, such as teachers and staff, student programs, and maintaining school buildings. Southern Door's proposed referendum is temporary. If approved, it would provide an additional $2.055 million per year for three years and would end after the 2028–29 school year.

Southern Door is facing a gap between the money it receives and the cost of operating the district.The district has already reduced spending and made cuts for the 2026-27 school year. These included cutting staff positions, reducing some high school courses, freezing employee pay, changing employee benefits, and delaying some purchases and maintenance.The referendum asks voters whether the district should receive an additional $2.055 million per year for three years. The money would be used for teacher and staff pay, restoring select teaching positions, and maintaining school facilities.

No. Southern Door has used operational referendum funding in the past.The district's previous operational referendum expired at the end of the 2025-26 school year. That money was part of the district's yearly budget and helped pay for everyday costs such as staff, student programs, services, extracurricular activities, and other operating expenses.The November referendum is a new three-year request. If approved, it would end after the 2028-29 school year.

Yes. After the April 2026 referendum was not approved, the district made spending cuts to balance the 2026-27 budget.Those changes included:Eliminating 13 staff positionsReducing high school course offeringsFreezing employee pay and changing employee benefit plansEliminating 15 days of onsite support from CESA 7Reducing spending on curriculum materialsDelaying some facility maintenance and equipment purchasesDelaying the replacement of student devices, computers, and other technologyThese reductions are already part of the district's 2026-27 budget.

In spring 2026, the district eliminated positions to reduce costs. This included eight teaching positions and the school psychologist position, along with releasing five additional employees.At the same time, other teachers left the district because of retirements, resignations, and other departures. By August 2026, the district had lost the equivalent of 26.29 teachers who had been employed at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year. That was about 28% of the teaching staff.The district therefore had two things happening at the same time: some positions were eliminated to save money, while other positions became vacant because employees left.The district filled many of those vacancies but was unable to fill all of them. This required changes to some classroom and teacher assignments for the 2026-27 school year.

Following the unsuccessful vote in April 2026, SDCSD leadership actively engaged with the community to gather critical feedback. Many voters made it clear they wanted the district to come back with a lower financial request.To honor that input and balance the immediate budget shortfall, the district made the difficult decision to implement more than $1 million in spending reductions for the current school year. Because these cuts were absorbed into our operating budget, the district can ask for a lower referendum amount in November.The recent reductions affecting this school year include:Eliminating 13 staff positions, freezing pay for all district employees, and modifying employee benefit plans.Reducing high school course offerings, scaling back curriculum materials, and eliminating 15 days of onsite support from CESA 7 specialists.Deferring necessary facility maintenance, delaying equipment purchases, reducing bus routes, and pausing the replacement cycle for student devices and classroom technology.The revised $2.055 million proposal reflects a careful balance between respecting the financial limits expressed by our community and maintaining our facilities and retaining high-quality staff.

The graphs below show how Southern Door compares with neighboring districts in paying teachers and other staff members (as of 2025-26).

The district has identified about $2.76 million in facility improvement projects to be completed in the coming years. These issues range from exterior door replacements to a roof replacement expected to cost $1.57 million.With an approved operational referendum on November 3, approximately $300,000 will be made available annually over the referendum’s four-year lifespan to help address these needs with previously budgeted maintenance funds.Projectthe CostHigh School Electrical Panel Replacement➔ Click here for photo$131,250Per the liability insurance company, the panel needs to be replaced by summer 2027.  The existing panel dates to 1962.Water Line➔ Click here for photo$152,250Install a new lateral supply line from the well to the pressure system.Roof Replacement➔ Click here for photo$1,575,000Replacement of the 60,000 sf. roof originally installed in 2002.Track Resurface $212,100Upgrade the current track surface, rubberized in 2014.High School Parking Lot Improvements➔ Click here for photo$63,000Seal coat and restripe parking lots.Elementary School Dishwasher Replacement$184,275Replacement of the original dishwasher from 1972.High School Dishwasher Replacement➔ Click here for photo$190,050Replacement of the dishwasher from the mid-1990s.Exterior Door Replacement$23,100Replace exterior door and frame.Camera and Door Security Upgrades$25,000Install new security cameras and upgrade doors.Middle School Dust Collector$207,900Replace the dust collection system in the Tech Ed area originally installed in 1972.Total$2,763,925Cost amounts are 5% above the most recent quote received.

The Board of Education voted unanimously 6–0 to place a non-recurring operational referendum question on the November ballot asking voters to grant SDCSD authority to exceed its state-imposed revenue limit by $2.055 million per year for three years.During the board’s discussions, we considered multiple potential referendum scenarios. The board carefully evaluated our financial needs, priorities, and responsibility to our taxpayers. Ultimately, the board decided to move forward with a referendum that would address the following priorities:Staff Compensation Market Adjustment: Approximately $1.43 million per year for three years to help ensure our compensation remains competitive and supports the recruitment and retention of high-quality staff.Facilities and Maintenance: $300,000 per year for three years to address priority facility and maintenance needs across the district.Restoring Teaching Positions: Approximately $282,000 per year to restore three positions: a reading interventionist, an elementary classroom teacher, and a high school technology education teacher.The remaining referendum funds would provide limited flexibility to address other critical district needs.

If approved, the referendum would provide the district with an additional $2.055 million per year for three school years: 2026-27, 2027-28, and 2028-29.It is a non-recurring referendum, which means this additional funding would end after the 2028-29 school year. It would not automatically continue after that.

If the referendum is not approved, the district would not receive the additional $2.055 million per year.The School Board and administration would then need to balance future budgets using the revenue available to the district. This could require additional reductions.Possible reductions could include fewer staff, larger class sizes, fewer programs or services, changes to extracurricular activities, and additional delays to facility maintenance.The specific reductions would ultimately be decided through the district's future budget process.

The district's property tax rate, or mill rate, is projected to decrease even if the referendum is approved.The current and projected rates are:2025-26: $6.992026-27: $6.352027-28: $6.072028-29: $5.61The mill rate is the amount of school property tax charged for each $1,000 of property value.It is important to note that a lower tax rate does not guarantee that every property owner's tax bill will decrease. A person's actual tax bill also depends on factors such as changes in property value.

SDCSD includes nine municipalities, each with its own assessment cycle. Because local assessed values vary, the state requires districts to use equalized value (fair market value) to calculate tax rates. This ensures taxes are distributed fairly across all municipalities. Since property values can change each year, it’s difficult to predict the exact dollar impact on an individual tax bill.  Therefore, the District communicates impact using the mill rate, which is the cost per $1,000 of a home’s fair market value. The proposed referendum is structured to decrease the district’s mill rate per $1,000 of Equalized Value for all three years (decreased from the 2025–26 level). Actual tax bills may still vary based on changes in property values or future state funding decisions, but the District’s plan is designed to maintain a reduced school tax rate over the three-year period. Using the table below, here’s how the school tax rate may apply to a sample home.YearMillRateHomeValueSchool TaxTax $ChangeTax %ChangeMill Rate $ Change2025$6.99$300,000$2,097.002026$6.35$315,000*$2,000.25(-$96.75)(-4.83%)(-$0.64)2027$6.07$333,750*$2,007.65+$7.40+0.4%(-$0.28)2028$5.61$350,437*$1,965.95(-$41.70)(-2.12%)(-$0.46)*Home value (Equalized/Fair Market) assumes a yearly 5% increase and is determined by the state

Election day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. More information is available at https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us.

District residents can find their polling location for Tuesday, November 3, 2026, by searching with their home address at https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/Find-My-Polling-Place.

Yes, voters may request an absentee ballot for any reason. However, you must be registered to vote before you can request an absentee ballot. If you are registered, you can request an absentee ballot by visiting https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/VoteAbsentee. Note that you must provide a photo ID with your absentee ballot request.

Eligible voters can register up to election day, and can register at the polls.The deadline to register by mail or online is October 14, 2026. If you miss this deadline, you can register in person at your municipal clerk’s office until 5:00 p.m. on October 30, 2026, or at your polling place on election day.To learn more about registering to vote, visit https://myvote.wi.gov/register-To-Vote.

Voters will see the following question on their ballots on Tuesday, November 3, 2026: Shall the Southern Door County School District, Door County, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $2,055,000 per year for 3 years, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year and ending with the 2028-2029 school year, for non-recurring purposes consisting of operational expenses for teacher and staff compensation, restoring select teaching positions, and maintaining school facilities?