37 WI Communities Take On Property Tax Increases to Fill Public Education Funding Gap Created By State Legislature
Volume of School Operational Referendums Highlights Need for Updated State Funding of Public Schools
Madison, WI - On Tuesday, April 7, more than 70 communities across Wisconsin voted to approve ballot measures for school district operational funding. A total of 75 referendum questions were on the ballot this spring, 63 of which addressed operational funding. As of Thursday morning, 37 of these operational measures had passed and 26 had failed.
In recent years, the number of Wisconsin public school districts advancing referendums – and the dollar amount of those referendums – has risen substantially. In 2024, 150 operational referendums appeared on ballots across the state, surpassing the previous single-year record of 92 operational referendums, set in 2022.
Jeff Mandell, President and General Counsel at Law Forward, a Wisconsin law firm representing the plaintiffs currently suing the State Legislature and Joint Finance Committee over the state’s underfunding of public education, responded to Tuesday’s referendum results:
“For decades, Wisconsin school districts brought local referendums to voters when they wanted to fund capital construction projects – things like security upgrades, the construction of new buildings, or major renovations of athletic facilities. But in the last sixteen years, the state has significantly curtailed education funding, which has left school districts across Wisconsin in such dire financial straits that they’ve been forced to rely on local referendums just to fund basic school operations.
“Because of the state’s inaction, school districts now bear the heavy burden of meeting these funding gaps themselves — and many have, understandably, turned to operational referendums to do so. I’m grateful that many communities passed their districts’ operating referendum questions this week, but this is not a long-term solution. By failing to adequately fund our public schools, the State Legislature is offloading its constitutional responsibilities onto the shoulders of local property taxpayers, many of whom are already struggling to make ends meet.
“It’s not surprising that 26 of these operational referendums didn’t pass. Property taxpayers are feeling the brunt of the state’s inaction, and recent polling shows that voters were split on using referendums to fund schools. The students in these 26 districts will feel the tangible impacts of this funding gap – whether that’s through crumbling school buildings, old and outdated textbooks, or overcrowded classrooms.
“Ultimately, we all want the best educational opportunities for our children. The Wisconsin State Constitution mandates that the State Legislature provide all children with an equal opportunity for a sound basic education, and the onus is on our lawmakers to develop a sustainable and equitable funding solution that sufficiently funds public schools. Until they do so, we can expect to keep seeing operational referendums on our ballots."
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In February 2026, Wisconsin community members, school districts, and education associations filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin State Assembly, Wisconsin State Senate, and members of the Joint Committee on Finance - Wisconsin PTA, et.al. V. Wisconsin Assembly.
Fund Wisconsin Public Schools is a statewide coalition that supports the efforts of the lawsuit.