by Dan Rossmiller | Mar 27, 2023 | Election, Legislative Update Blog, State Issue
When voters go to the polls for the April 4 Spring Election, in addition to school board races and other local government races, they will find 82 local school district referendums on the ballot in 68 districts.
Of those 82 total referendums, 53 will be operating referendums to exceed state-imposed revenue limits. Overall, 43 of those referendums will ask for temporary (or non-recurring) authority to increase the district’s revenue limit, while 10 will ask for permanent (or recurring) authority to increase the district’s revenue limit. Operating referendums will be on the ballot in 51 districts across the state. (Two districts–Elkhorn and Fort Atkinson–have two operating referenda on Tuesday’s ballot.)
In addition, there will 29 borrowing referendums on the ballot in 28 districts across the state. Borrowing referendums ask voters for approval to issue bonds for major construction, remodeling or maintenance projects for school facilities. (One district–Oconomowoc Area–has two debt issuance referendums on Tuesday’s ballot.) (more…)
by Dan Rossmiller | Nov 11, 2022 | Election, Legislative Update Blog, State Budget, State Issue
Voters on Nov. 8 approved 64 of the 81 school district referendum questions placed before them, reflecting a 79 percent overall passage rate. That is generally in line with the passage rate for all types of school referenda on the ballot earlier this year. Prior to Nov. 8, voters had approved 69 of 85 school referenda, reflecting an 81.2 percent overall passage rate. (more…)
by Dan Rossmiller | Nov 8, 2022 | Election, Legislative Update Blog, State Issue
Voters will go to the polls today to select their choices for several state Constitutional offices including Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State and State Treasurer. Voters will also decide who will be Wisconsin’s U.S. Senator for the next six years and will select the winner in each of Wisconsin’s eight congressional seats, including an open seat in the third Congressional District in Western Wisconsin.
All seats in the state Assembly and the odd-numbered seats in the state Senate are on the ballot. Voters will also decide who will fill seven open seats in the state Senate and twenty-five open seats in the state Assembly, meaning there will be seven brand-new state senators and as many as twenty-five brand new state representatives in January. (Two sitting state representatives are running in what are new seats for them due to redistricting.)
Republicans will maintain solid control over the state Legislature. However, a key question to be decided is whether Republicans can garner a two-thirds supermajority in both houses and thus be able to override a gubernatorial veto with solely GOP votes. To achieve a two-thirds majority in the state Senate, Republicans only need to pick up one seat. Republicans would need a net gain of five seats to reach two-thirds (66) of the seats in the 99-member state Assembly.
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by Dan Rossmiller | Oct 24, 2022 | Election, Legislative Update Blog, State Issue, Uncategorized
There will be 39 school district referenda on the Nov. 8 ballot seeking authority to borrow money for capital projects (school facilities). That is in addition to the 35 such questions that have already gone before school district voters this year. (Twenty-five of those earlier referendums were approved for a passage rate of just over 71 percent.)
The 166 school district referendum questions of all types placed before voters in 2022 is the highest total number since calendar year 2000, when 192 school district referenda of all types took place. (That 2000 total was prior to restrictions being placed on when school district referenda cold take place and how many times a district could place referendum questions before voters in a calendar year.)
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by Dan Rossmiller | Oct 14, 2022 | Election, Legislative Update Blog, State Budget, State Issue, Uncategorized
There will be 42 school district referenda on the Nov. 8 ballot seeking authority to increase revenue limit authority. That is in addition to the 50 such questions that have already gone before school district voters this year. We believe the 92 referendums seeking additional operating revenues is the highest total ever in a single calendar year. The highest previous total in a calendar year was 82, set in 2000 and equaled in 2001.
The large number of revenue limit referenda is not surprising given the recent history of a frozen revenue limits and high inflation. There has been no per pupil increase in revenue limits in six of the past eight years and revenue limits were frozen for both the 2021-22 an 2022-23 school year.
When you add in the 74 ballot questions asking for authority to issue debt for facilities related projects, the total number of school district referendum questions is the highest it has been since calendar year 2000, when 192 school district referenda of all types took place. (That 2000 total was prior to restrictions being placed on when school district referenda cold take place and how many times a district could place referendum questions before voters in a calendar year.) (more…)
by Dan Rossmiller | Aug 15, 2022 | Election, Legislative Update Blog, State Issue
Results of the August 9 primary election are in. Voters approved each of the three school referendums that were on the August 9 ballot.
In the Independence School District, voters approved a non-recurring referendum to exceed the revenue limit by $900,000 for the each of the next three school years. In the Monticello School District, voters approved exceeding the revenue limit on a recurring basis by $820,000 in the 2022-23 school year and also approved a separate non-recurring referendum question to allow the district to exceed the revenue limits by $280,000 in each of the next four school years. (more…)
