Tomah School Board contemplates referendum

At last Monday’s Tomah School Board meeting, Michelle Clark, Business Manager for the Tomah School District, said to the board, “We are going to need to decide if you want to keep the current services offered through the district, or increase, or decrease services offered.” The Tomah School District has projected a budget shortfall for the 2023-24 school year, due to no per-pupil increases from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction in the last two years and an expiring operating referendum. 

The per-pupil increase from the state used to stay fairly level with the consumer price index, but with inflation and other factors, those lines have vastly separated. “I do believe when we set the tax levy next week , we’ll see another decrease to the mill rate,” Clark said. “As a district we have been very fiscally responsible over the years, but, we’ve used ESSER (one-time) funds to add programs and staff, which, now that those funds will be gone soon, leaves us with a shortfall.”  

“No matter if we decide to go for a referendum or not, we still have the challenges of lack-of-state funding and staff shortages,” Clark said. Earlier in the meeting, Tim Gnewikow, Principal of Warrens Elementary, said, “We don’t have a third grade teacher at Warrens right now. We have a fantastic person that has stepped in, but we don’t have a third grade teacher.”

The board is heading toward asking for an operating referendum next Spring. When discussing amongst the board, new board member, James Newlun, said, “We need to look at and be able to show the public what will happen if the referendum doesn’t pass.” Board member Susan Bloom said, “We have to prove that it’s worth it, which i know we can.”

Board member, Rick Murray, took a different perspective and said, “We have to get the people in Madison to understand how important education is. The November election will be a determining factor of what we have to do.” 

Board members Spencer Stephens and Cathryn Rice echoed each other by saying, “We have to make it as transparent as we can, the public has to know where the funds would be going, or there is no chance of it passing."

There is a Special board meeting tonight (Monday) at 6 p.m. October 24^th,  to ratify the tax levy for 2023, which was discussed at the annual meeting in August, at Robert Kupper Learning Center, located at 1310 Townline Rd. in Tomah.