BRUSSELS – The Southern Door County School District has decided to not place a referendum question on ballots for the April 1 election asking residents to let the district exceed its state-set revenue limits for operational expenses.
The board’s decision came after it reviewed the results of a recent community survey, which in part asked residents for feedback on potentially exceeding the district’s revenue limit by $2.525 million for the 2025-26 school year and $3.5 million annually for the following three years.
Southern Door School District
According to a press release from the school, the results showed limited support, particularly among non-staff/non-parent respondents, with 31% answering “Definitely Yes” or “Probably Yes” to the proposal.
The press release further said the survey showed residents in the district are seeking transparent communication, a careful evaluation of financial conditions and engagement with the community to provide more trust and representation they’d need to support a referendum.
“The Board of Education has determined that this is not the appropriate time to pursue voter approval for exceeding the state-set revenue limits,” the press release said. “The decision not to proceed with a referendum in April reflects the district’s serious consideration of community feedback and timing.”
Voters in the Southern Door school district have approved several referendums for operating expenses in the past, including the most recent time referendum questions were on the ballot.
The district is operating until the end of the 2025-26 school year under the referendum passed in the November 2022 election, which called for allowing the district to exceed its revenue limit by $975,000 per year for three years to maintain programs and services. It passed with 60% voting in favor, a 2,648-to-1,737 margin.
District voters also passed a second referendum in that November 2022 election, although much more narrowly than the operational question. It sought $14.9 million to improve and upgrade the district’s facilities, highlighted by construction of the recently opened Talon Community Fitness Center on campus and including improvements to school art rooms and technical education, family and consumer education areas. That question passed by fewer than 100 votes, 2,220 to 2,139.
The press release said with the current referendum expiring in June 2026, an operational referendum likely will be placed on the ballot for Southern Door voters in the April 2026 election.
“Future support is crucial in order to sustain current programs and address emerging needs,” the release said, “such as maintaining low class sizes, updating curriculum materials, supporting technology advancements and offering competitive salaries and benefits to retain high-quality staff.”
Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Southern Door schools won’t seek April referendum on revenue limits