Two Madison Metropolitan School District referendums passed with 69.4% and 71.9%, respectively, at 100% of precincts reporting as of Wednesday morning.
The first referendum, a $100 million operational referendum paid over four years, will provide for hiring more educators, full-day 4-K programs and mental health initiatives districtwide. The second referendum, a $507 million facility referendum paid over 23 years, will pay for updating elementary and middle schools in the district, according to MMSD’s website.
The operational referendum will also allow MMSD to overhaul multilingual education across schools and expand middle school career exploration opportunities through an increase in extracurricular activities and other educational resources.
The facility referendum will result in 26 facilities over 60 years old being refurbished with modern heating and plumbing in addition to STEM labs, new libraries and shared spaces.
The Wisconsin Policy Forum (WPF) estimated that these two referenda will increase property tax bills by $1,376 for Madison homeowners.
Edell Fiedel, the senior director of communications for MMSD, previously told The Daily Cardinal that the district faces a $30.2 million deficit for 2023-25 because the state budget did not keep pace with inflation.
A report from WPF also assessed funding concerns for MMSD stemming from the district no longer being able to use revenue from a 2020 referendum or federal COVID-19 relief due to the expiration of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund.
In the past year, 92 different school referenda were on ballots across Wisconsin as a result of what MMSD characterizes as the state’s inability to properly fund school districts through limits on the amount of state aid and local taxes that a district can receive.
A press release from the Office of the Mayor said that the referendum will balance the budget until 2030 with the potential for special changes addressing budget gaps to be implemented in 2027.
The Cardinal reached out to MMSD.
This is a developing story.
