Voters in the Wheatland J1 School District will be able to vote on a operating referendum in the spring election on April 7.
We sent a questionnaire to district officials. Following are the responses from Martin McGinley, district administrator.
What is being sought with your district’s referendum?
McGinley: The Wheatland J1 School District is asking for a renewal of the current, non-recurring operating referendum for an additional 4 years. The question on the ballot will be as follows…
“Shall the Joint School District Number 1, Towns of Wheatland, Brighton, Randall and Salem, Kenosha County, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $400,000 per year, for the 2026-2027 school year through the 2029-2030 school year, for non-recurring purposes consisting of maintaining the current level of educational programming and operating the District? [YES] or [NO]”
Even with increased inflationary costs over the last 8 years the district has been able to reduce each succeeding referendum by a substantial amount. The current operating referendum, which passed in 2022, was a reduction of $100,000 per year for a total of $400,000. If approved, the pending referendum would be an additional reduction of $125,000 per year, or $500,000 over the four years.The non-recurring option was chosen because it provides a sunset for the referendum and allows residents to make an informed choice in four years, while giving the district the benefit of knowing the impact of future state budgets.
Why is the referendum needed?
McGinley: The revenue permitted based on the state imposed revenue limit is not sufficient to provide the services that the children of Wheatland need or that our community expects. The only way to increase the amount of revenue available is to have public permission through the referendum to exceed the revenue limit. It is exactly the same issue that Wheatland has had for the previous 20 years. With public approval, the School Board may levy up to that amount if necessary, but in previous years the Board of Education has been able to under levy based on the needs of the district or pay down debt. This month the district will be prepaying $2,000,000 of debt from the 2018 Facility referendum saving taxpayers $750,000 in interest on the loan and reducing the period of the loan by 3.5 years. Approval of the referendum simply allows the Wheatland School Board to increase the revenue limit to accommodate the current budget, however, due to the district’s strong financial position it is not projected to increase the tax levy. This is due to intentional measured growth in open enrollment and conservative spending in the previous 4 years. In fact, as mentioned in later questions, there has been no increase in the tax levy in 11 of the last 12 years and there is projected to be NO TAX LEVY INCREASE with this referendum.
What is the projected property tax impact?
McGinley: Based on a conservative forecasting model created by Robert W. Baird’s public finance division and the district’s own budget projections, there is predicted to be no increase over the current levy for the school-based portion of property taxes. This is made possible by increased revenue from open enrollment and great fiscal stewardship by the Wheatland Board of Education. The District has been able to decrease the tax levy each year since 2018, and the reduce the overall overall tax levy in 11 of the last 12 years. Wheatland is one of very few districts in the state that has been able to reduce the tax levy, thereby providing an excellent value for the Wheatland community and a destination school for area students.
What will passing the referendum allow the district to do?
McGinley: An approval of the referendum will allow the District to continue the momentum toward our Flight to Excellence. Over the last decade Wheatland students have made progress in growth and achievement in every measured category. We are incredibly proud of the opportunities we provide students to thrive in all academic and extra-curricular areas. The Wheatland School District continues to exceed expectations each year on the state report card, while creating powerful students that are ready to fulfill the promise of success in high school and beyond.
What will be the effect of the referendum not passing?
McGinley: If the referendum question fails, the district will be forced to re-evaluate its long term financial projections. The impact of this reduction may cause a reduction in programming, and a potential loss of students. This would be followed by a decrease in state aid and open enrollment revenue. Ultimately, this loss of revenue would likely cause taxes to increase. It could also dramatically impact the quality of education the community has worked so hard to improve. The Board would have to reassess the situation after all information is available. Unfortunately, unless something changes with the school finance formula, no matter how successful Wheatland becomes, it is unlikely that the district will ever be able to thrive without some form of an operating referendum.
How can people get more information or ask questions?
McGinley: Visit the Wheatland Referendum Websitehttps://www.wheatland.k12.wi.us/page/referendum-2026
and/or Contact Marty McGinley, District AdministratorEmail: marty.mcginley@wcspk8.orgPhone: 262-537-2216 ext. 3920
