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APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Appleton Area School District is facing a $13 million annual deficit and may turn to taxpayers to help eliminate it.
The district is exploring a referendum, likely next April, in which taxpayers would pay down the deficit, or instead would cut existing programs and staff for next school year.
Wisconsin passed a record 241 referenda in 2024.
“It’s a combination of low revenue coming in, inflationary expenses, especially health plan costs,” said Appleton Area School District Superintendent Greg Hartjes.
Federal funding has dwindled and state funding hasn’t kept up with inflation, according to the district as discussed in their most recent meeting.
“I think we need to start thinking about, ‘What are the ways we have here in our district to solve this for our kids,'” said school board member Oliver Zornow. “Because they’re not solving it in Madison.”
A referendum, which could cover some or all of that $13 million, would of course cost taxpayer. First, it would need their approval through an election.
Or 100-150 staff members could be cut, though not yet this school year.
“The majority of districts in the state are struggling with the same thing we are,” said Hartjes. “We had two years, 2021-23, of the state budget that included no increases in revenue at a time when we were just starting to get an inflation rate of just under 2%. The next budget, 2023-25, was a little bit better, but again the increases were only 2-to-3%. And the inflation of that first year of that biennial budget was 8%. So really it’s happened quickly across all districts in the state.”
The district will hold two community feedback sessions, Thursday, Oct. 2 and Tuesday, Oct. 7. Both are held at 6:30 p.m. at the Appleton Area School District Welcome Center at 2701 N. Oneida St, Suite C1, Appleton.
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