'You can't have it both ways': Wauwatosa School Board discusses $124 million referendums

 

WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Parents and school officials sounded off Monday night during a school board meeting that included discussion of two referendum questions on the November ballot.

In six weeks, Wauwatosa voters will decide whether to approve a total of $124.4 million in additional property tax dollars for the school district.

The first referendum question seeks $64.4 million over four years. That money would cover operational costs, increased pay for teachers and new curriculum materials.

Of that money, $52 million would fund overall operations, $8 million would cover raises for teachers and $4 million would pay for curriculum upgrades.

The second referendum question asks for $60 million over 20 years. That money would cover delayed maintenance at the district's elementary schools and ensure each of the district's buildings fully comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

School board president Eric Jessup-Anger defended the requests, saying districts across Wisconsin have to seek additional aid from taxpayers because state funding has not kept up with inflation.

"If you're mad about that, get furious," Jessup-Anger said. "And let's go and make sure and demand the folks responsible for this are held accountable. I'm happy to set up carpools to Madison."

If both referendums pass, Tosa property owners would see a tax increase of $210 for every $100,000 worth of land value.

Kate Bertram, a taxpayer who said she and her husband graduated from Wauwatosa schools before sending their kids there, said she took issue with how the district planned to spend many of those referendum dollars.

"Regardless of state funding, the district must use the dollars wisely," Bertram said. "If you prioritize teachers, we would see more than $8 million of the $64 million go directly to salary increases."

Bertram and others voiced skepticism of the district's ability to manage its money, citing the discovery of a $4 million budget oversight earlier this summer.

Jessup-Anger noted much of the $52 million earmarked for operations would also go toward salaries.

Later in the meeting, Superintendent Demond Means said it was unfair for some residents to loudly push back on previous proposals to close some elementary schools or consolidate into a model that eliminates middle schools, instead putting Pre-K through 6th grade together in elementary schools and 7th through 12th grades in secondary schools.

He said if taxpayers don't want cuts, closures or consolidations, then additional funding is necessary.

"You want to have safer schools, you want to have ADA-accessible schools," Means said. "You want to have high academic needs and then not invest. You can't have it both ways."

Wauwatosa is far from the only district asking voters for additional tax dollars this fall. The Wisconsin Association of School Boards counts 137 total school referendum questions on the fall ballot.

There were 103 school referendums statewide in the spring. Combined, a total of 240 school referendums would blow away the previous record for most referendums in a single year. An analysis by the Wisconsin Policy Forum found 166 school referendums in 2022 was the most statewide since at least 2000.