WAUPUN — A referendum will be on the ballot April 1, which if voted “yes” to will increase the Waupun Area School District’s tax levy revenue limit to meet operational needs.
The School District held their final informational session Tuesday afternoon regarding the referendum, where district staff presented their reasons for why the referendum was so important to continuing operations in Waupun.
District Administrator Dr. Steven Hill also published an informational release to WPN about the referendum last month where he laid out the challenges the school has been facing and what passing the referendum would help cover.
Some in the community have started a promotional campaign to “Vote Yes” to the referendum, organized in the Support Waupun Area Students Facebook group.
“The reality is that state funding for schools is being cut ‘to save taxes,’ but the cost of running schools continues to rise,” Heather Thone wrote in a Facebook post. “This shifts the financial burden onto local communities, forcing districts to ‘ask’ taxpayers to fill the gap—and that gap keeps growing.”
Thone emphasized that the referendum isn’t about new buildings or major construction, but for covering operational costs for the school district’s essential services. This would help maintain the school’s programs and extracurriculars, retain staff, and keep class sizes small.
She also pointed out that this isn’t a new tax, it’s just replacing the previous referendum which expires this year. “In fact,” Thome wrote, “the new rate is actually lower than the previous one!”
“Our schools need this to continue offering the quality education our kids deserve. Let’s come together to support Waupun students!” she concluded.
More information about the referendum can be found on the School District website, including a PDF of the presentation slideshow given at the informational meetings.
The full language of the referendum is as follows:
“Waupun Area School District Exceed Revenue Limit Referendum — Shall the Waupun Area School District, Dodge and Fond du Lac Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $900,000 per year for three years beginning with the 2025-2026 school year and ending with the 2027-2028 school year, for non-recurring purposes consisting of operational and maintenance expenses, including to maintain facilities and small class sizes, to sustain and expand educational programming, and to pay salaries and benefits?”
Waupun School District School Board Member representing the City Of Waupun is also up for election on April 1, with Lori Van Buren being the only name on the ballot.
Early voting for Wisconsin began on March 18, and can be completed during normal open hours at Waupun City Hall for city residents.
More information about the upcoming election and your voting location can be found at https://myvote.wi.gov/.
