Voters in the Wheatland J1 School District will have a referendum on the April 2026 ballot, after action by the School Board this week.

From a news release from the district:

At the November 19th Board meeting the Wheatland J1 School Board approved an operating referendum for the April 2026 ballot. The Board-approved referendum renews the previous operating referendum for the next four years. While it represents a reduction from the previous referendum, it is still needed to continue to operate the school district. The District is seeking $400,000 for each of the next 4 years (the expiring referendum was $525,000 for 4 years, and the one prior to that was $625,000). Marty McGinley, District administrator at Wheatland said this about the referendum, “We have been able to create a culture of improvement and excellence that has attracted students from all over the area. This has allowed us to grow and provide a world class experience for our students, while decreasing the overall school based tax levy. In our current climate that is unheard of, and we are incredibly proud of our success.”

The renewal of the operating referendum allows the District to continue serving Wheatland Center students with no additional impact on local taxpayers. Although Wheatland was one of the first in the state to experience the need for an operating referendum, in recent years nearly every district in Wisconsin has had to come to taxpayers to increase the revenue limit. Due to recent inflationary costs, most districts need to increase the amount they ask for in each successive operating referendum. Wheatland’s reduction in overall scope and cost speaks to the Board’s understanding and management of Wisconsin’s complicated school finance system.

When the Board asked the community to approve the last operating referendum, they committed to be good financial stewards. In March, the Board will be able to pay down debt from the 2018 facility referendum at an accelerated rate saving taxpayers nearly $750,000 in interest and reducing the 20 year bond by three and a half years. The Board also made the decision to keep the tax levy flat or reduce it slightly in all four years of the expiring operating referendum. In those four years, the mill rate has also decreased from 6.83 to 4.8. This demonstrates the success of the Wheatland District and commitment to the strong stewardship of tax dollars by the Board.

In addition, over the course of the last 4 years the District has been able to achieve the following financial milestones:

— Created and supported a facility improvement fund to plan for future mechanical needs

— Contributed additional funds to debt service which will reduce interest on the 2018 facility project

— Built and maintained a fund balance to eliminate the need for short term borrowing

— Reduced the yearly amount of the operating referendum from $525,000 for 4 years to $400,000 for 4 years

— Reduced the overall school based tax levy in 11 of the last 12 years (This year’s school based taxes will be less than they were in 2019)

Board President, Chris Serak, added, “The Wheatland School Board is seeking a renewal of the current operating referendum. While we were able to reduce both the yearly ask and overall scope of the referendum, the renewal is needed due to an outdated state funding formula and artificial revenue limit. The referendum asks the local community to continue to support a model school district right here in Wheatland. We are incredibly proud of all that we have been able to accomplish in the past and thankful for the continued support of the Wheatland community.”

For more information: https://www.wheatland.k12.wi.us/page/referendum-2026