Operational Referendum | Tuesday, February 18, 2025
INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF TOMAHAWK SCHOOLS
The School District of Tomahawk has a proud history of fostering a high-quality learning environment and providing students with the resources needed to achieve high levels of academic success and fulfill their potential. The Department of Public Instruction’s State Report Card noted that the district exceeded expectations during the 2022-23 school year.
However, we face serious budget challenges that make it difficult for Tomahawk Schools to continue meeting our mission to empower all students to become life-long learners capable of thriving in an ever-changing world.
A combination of state aid and local property taxes are the primary source of funding for school districts throughout Wisconsin. Each district has a revenue limit created by the state that caps the amount of money that can be generated through these sources. This limit was established more than 30 years ago.
Resident enrollment and state-approved adjustments are the two factors that control our revenue limit authority. The district’s current enrollment is approximately 65% of what it was two decades earlier, and state adjustments have not kept pace with rising costs and inflation.
As a result, the district lags significantly behind many of its peers when it comes to the amount of state aid received. The average Wisconsin school district receives $8,060 per student in state aid, while we receive $3,147 per student. In fact, school districts like ours would receive roughly $3,300 more per student for the 2024-25 school year if revenues maintained pace with inflation since 2009.
SOUND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
The Tomahawk School Board and administration have a history of sound financial management and have pursued practical and cost-effective solutions that respect the needs of our property taxpayers.
Expense reductions of nearly $1.2 million were realized during the 2021-22 school year by freezing salaries, eliminating a bus route, and not replacing a limited number of staff and administrators, among other cuts. The board also opted to use $1.8 million from the district’s reserve fund to balance its budget.
In April 2022, our community’s voters approved a non-recurring operational referendum for the school district that provided an additional $3.25 million per year over a three-year period. This revenue stream will sunset at the conclusion of the 2024-25 school year.
THE PROPOSED SOLUTION
While we are very proud of our financial discipline in the face of challenges, the number of expense reductions in the years preceding the 2022 referendum have created concerns about harming our schools and students over the long term if such trends continue.
On Tuesday, February 18, 2025, our community will consider approving a four-year, non-recurring operational referendum question for the School District of Tomahawk. If this measure is approved, we will have the ability to raise the district’s revenue limit by $3.25 million annually through the 2028-29 school year.
An approved referendum would enable Tomahawk Schools to:
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Preserve academic programs and extracurricular activities for students.
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Avoid further reductions of teachers and support staff.
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Make strategic investments to bolster learning and student opportunities.
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Maintain and grow community partnerships.
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Complete priority maintenance projects maintaining our facility as a safe and effective learning environment.
An approved renewal of the operational referendum is not projected to have a levy rate increase. The district is estimating an average levy rate of $5.59 per $1,000 of fair market value.
