The Mauston School District will again see a referendum

Residents in the Mauston School District will again see a referendum on the February ballot. The Mauston School District Board of Education held a special meeting December 4, where it was voted to place an operational referendum question on the ballot in the Spring Primary election. This proposed referendum follows two previous attempts in 2024. The April 2 referendum received 38.2% support, and the November 5 referendum received 49.4% but did not pass. Both measures aimed to provide funding to maintain essential district operations.

The proposed referendum this spring seeks voter approval to exceed the state-imposed revenue limit by $1.75 million annually for the next four years. Without additional funding, the district projects it will be unable to operate beyond the 2026-27 school year. More than $1.5 million in cuts have already been implemented for the 2024-25 school year, and an additional $2.2 million in reductions are planned for 2025-26. If a solution is not found, the district could be dissolved by the end of the 2026-27 school year, with students redistributed to neighboring districts. If approved, the referendum would allow the district to avoid further cuts to staffing and student programs.

The district would also prioritize preserving small class sizes, a full range of academic programming, and its experienced staff. The estimated property tax impact of an approved referendum would be 35 cents per every $1,000 of assessed property value. The owner of a home assessed at $100,000, for example, would see a property tax impact of $35 per year.