[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-587716-105":59,"doc-detail-587716-en":122},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":115,"head_meta":117,"extra_data":119,"updated_unix":121},105,"en","wisconsin-voters-approve-record-number-of-school-and-municipal-referenda-in-2024","Wisconsin voters approve record number of school and municipal referenda in 2024","","Wisconsin voters approved a record number of referenda in 2024 to fund local schools, while overall school-ballot approval rates continued to decline. The statewide total reached 241 school referenda, with 70.1% passing and a sharp drop from 2022. Approved measures authorized $4.4 billion for districts, including $3.3 billion from debt. Municipal and county levy-limit referenda also saw significant action, though turnout varied by location and geography.",{"@graph":69,"@context":114},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/wisconsin-voters-approve-record-number-of-school-and-municipal-referenda-in-2024/587716/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/wisconsin-voters-approve-record-number-of-school-and-municipal-referenda-in-2024/587716.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Melati","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":14},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why were more K-12 referenda being held, but approval rates declining?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The report links the trend to inflation outpacing increases in state per-pupil revenue limits, which constrains district revenue from property taxes and state aid. It also cites labor-market pressure on teacher staffing costs and the loss of federal pandemic relief aid affecting district budgets.","Answer","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":116,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":118,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":120,"site_id":62},587716,1793140452,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":123},{"doc_id":120,"user_id":124,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":125,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":126,"file_id":127,"file_url":128,"file_type":129,"file_size":130,"view_count":14,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":19,"language":131,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":132,"faqs":133,"seo_title":134,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":135,"read_time":52,"preview_page_count":4},962085570644,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_994ba38a5ba835b3df7d355c54d3ed8d","Wisconsin sets more referenda records to fund schools  \nWisconsin voters approved a record number of referenda in 2024 to increase property taxes to fund their local schools, and nearly set a record for the most referenda to fund municipalities or counties. However, the approval rate for school ballot questions continued a downward trend. These trends raise questions about both the adequacy of current state funding and the impact on property taxpayers.  \nA record  \nbefore  \nnumber of school district referenda went voters across Wisconsin in 2024, who  \nresponded by approving them in record numbers. These ballot questions essentially ask voters to raise their own property taxes to fund the district’s operations, either on a temporary or permanent basis, or to repay debt issued for capital projects such as building construction or renovation.  \nThe statewide total this year was 241 school referenda held, with 138 happening in the fall elections (the August primary and November general) and 103 in the spring (the February primary and April general) . This represented the most school referenda ever in a single  \nyear, narrowly surpassing the previous record of 240 in 1998, as shown in Figure 1.  \nUnofficial election results indicate that voters approved 169 of these ballot questions in 2024, which was also a record, topping the previous high of 140 in 2018.(Referenda passage rates typically increase amid the higher voter turnout of presidential and midterm election years.) Fall 2024 passage rates were higher than the spring’s: 77.5% compared to 60.2% .  \nIn 2024, the approved referenda authorized a total of $4.4 billion in new funds for school districts, $3.3 billion of which will come from debt. This was by far the most ever in a calendar year, breaking the old record of $2.7  \nbillion (unadjusted for inflation) in 2020. It in part reflected that the total amount of money requested via referendum reached a new high of $5.9 billion, up from 2022’s previous record of $3.3 billion.  \nThese results translated to a school referendum passage rate for all of 2024 of 70. 1% . While voters approved the large majority of referenda, it marks a 10 percentage-point decline from 2022 and was the lowest passage rate in amidterm or presidential election year since 2014. This decrease continues a recent trend of declining passage rates since 2018.  \nIn addition to school referenda, voters also decided at least 14 municipality referenda to exceed levy limits in the  \nNov. 5 election. (These totals may not be  \ncomplete but reflect all those included in data from the Wisconsin Elections Commission.) Of these 14, voters approved seven, authorizing those cities, villages, and towns to increase their property tax levy for operations above state-imposed limits to fund specified services, such as public safety, local roads, parks, or general services.  \nIn the fall and spring elections combined, voters approved 17 out of 31 municipal and county referenda total statewide. This year saw the second-most municipal and county referenda approved to increase property taxes of any year on record, behind only 2022, when 29 passed.  \nlarge districts vote yes  \nOf this year’s school referenda, the largest were in the Madison Metropolitan School District. Voters in the district approved the state’s largest debt referendum on record ($507 million) as well as a $100 million operating referendum.  \nVoters also approved referenda in some of the state’s other largest districts. These included a $183 million debt referendum in Green Bay; a $152 million debt referendum and a $29 million operating referendum in Janesville; a $121 million debt referendum in the Sheboygan Area School District; and a $78 million operating referendum in Eau Claire. In the spring, voters  \napproved a $252 million operating referendum for Milwaukee Public Schools – the second largest operating referendum in the state since 1990.  \nMore differences emerged in approval rates by geography in 2024. ","cbCaik8UB10VBMGY","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaik8UB10VBMGY","pdf",301328,"English","# School referenda in 2024\n## Number of referenda and statewide totals\n## Approval rates and passage trends\n## Funding amounts and debt vs. operations\n# Municipal and county referenda\n## Levy-limit exceedances\n## Approval counts statewide\n# Largest school districts and geography differences\n## Madison, Green Bay, Janesville, Sheboygan, Eau Claire, Milwaukee\n## City, suburb, town, and rural passage rates\n# Reasons for more referenda but lower approval rates\n## Inflation and state revenue limits\n## Labor-market pressures and federal aid changes","[{\"question\":\"Why were more K-12 referenda being held, but approval rates declining?\",\"answer\":\"The report links the trend to inflation outpacing increases in state per-pupil revenue limits, which constrains district revenue from property taxes and state aid. It also cites labor-market pressure on teacher staffing costs and the loss of federal pandemic relief aid affecting district budgets.\"}]","Wisconsin voters approve record number of school and municipal referenda in 2024 | PDF",1792062791]