OPERATIONAL REFERENDUM
Southern Door County School District
Election Day: November 3, 2026
Sustaining Southern Door
The Southern Door County School District has proudly served our communities for decades and educated generations of students. However, we face serious financial challenges that make it difficult to continue providing the level of education our students and families expect.
All Wisconsin school districts operate under a state-imposed revenue limit that restricts how much we can receive through state aid and local property taxes. This system, established in 1993, has not kept pace with inflation or the rising cost of educating students.
In fact, had state aid kept pace with inflation since 2009, districts like SDCSD would have received about $3,500 more per student annually, which could have been spent on day-to-day expenses. This would result in an additional $3.5 million in annual spending authority for our district.
Our Proposal
On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, SDCSD voters will consider a non-recurring operational referendum to provide critical funding for our schools and students.
If approved, the measure will allow SDCSD to exceed our revenue limit by $2.055 million annually for three years, beginning in the 2026-27 school year and ending in 2028-29. This funding would allow our district to:
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Increase teacher and staff compensation
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Restore select teaching positions
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Maintain school facilities
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Improve financial stability
Even if the proposed operational referendum is successful, the district’s mill rate is still expected to fall to $6.35 for the current school year (from $6.99 in 2025-26). It would then decline further to $6.07 in 2027-28 and $5.61 in 2028-29.
How We Got Here
Last April, our voters did not approve an operational referendum proposal that would have provided SDCSD with $3.15 million annually for three years.
The election result allowed the district’s previous operational referendum to expire in June. As a result, the Board of Education and administration implemented budget cuts to balance the budget for 2026-27.
Among the decisions were:
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Elimination of 13 staff positions, including eight teaching positions
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Reduction of high school course offerings due to staff cut
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Freezing pay for all employees, including administrators
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Changing employee benefit plans
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Reducing paid hours for summer curriculum work
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Eliminating 15 days of onsite support from CESA 7
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Delaying replacement of student devices, computers, and other technology
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Delaying building maintenance and equipment purchases
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Reducing spending on curriculum materials
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Limiting distance for co-curricular events
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Restructuring the school resource officer contract
The board and administration have been fiscally responsible and have taken steps to reduce spending, but we continue to face growing deficits. An operational referendum is the only option to prevent significant financial cuts that would negatively impact programming and student opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
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