$4.2 million referendum question fails in Menomonie school district
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — Voters in the Menomonie school district failed a referendum question February 20 to exceed the revenue limit by $4.2 million in perpetuity.
According to unofficial election results posted on the Dunn County clerk’s website, the question failed on a vote of 59 percent “no” to 41 percent “yes,” with 1,891 Menomonie school district residents voting for the referendum question, and 2,768 voting against the question.
Voter turnout was 31 percent of the total registered voters in the Menomonie school district.
All together, 4,659 voters cast ballots on the referendum question, and there are 14,869 registered voters in the Menomonie school district.
Joe Zydowsky, superintendent of the Menomonie school district, spoke to the Dunn County Board about the referendum question at the county board’s January meeting.
Exceeding the revenue limit by $4.2 million would have gone toward operating the school district and not for remodeling or updating buildings or constructing new buildings.
The $4.2 million referendum would allow the school district to continue current operations. The school district would not be hiring additional teachers and would not be adding any new programs, Zydowsky had told the Dunn County Board.
Without additional funding, the Menomonie School District will have to reduce operations, which includes closing schools and reducing programs, he said.
State-imposed revenue limits, when indexed to inflation, show that Menomonie is receiving less money for the revenue limit than other school districts and less than the state average, Zydowsky said.
The Menomonie school district has 3,300 students, and 43 percent are economically disadvantaged.
According to a Legislative Fiscal Bureau report in 2021, the state average for the per pupil revenue limit was $11,450. Menomonie had a revenue limit per pupil of $10,329, while Chippewa Falls had a revenue limit of $10,772 per pupil and Eau Claire had a revenue limit of $10,885.
City of Menomonie
In the City of Menomonie, the $4.2 million referendum question was narrowly approved, with 1,088 votes in favor and 1,024 votes against.
Voters in the City of Menomonie accounted for 45 percent of the total voters who cast ballots on the referendum question — 2,112 out of 4,659 total votes cast.
Townships
Of the 22 townships in Dunn County, 13 townships have at least some residents who live in the Menomonie school district, along with one village, Knapp, out of seven villages.
Out of the 13 townships and the Village of Knapp, 803 voters cast a ballot in favor of the referendum question, and 1,745 voted against the question.
All together, 2,548 ballots were submitted in the townships and the Village of Knapp.
In terms of percentages, 31.5 percent voted in favor, while 68.5 voted against the question.
Votes
Here are the votes in the various municipalities:
• Town of Dunn — 102 yes to 167 no.
• Town of Eau Galle — 3 yes to 8 no.
• Town of Elk Mound — 0 yes to 5 no.
• Town of Lucas — 52 yes to 96 no.
• Town of Menomonie — 297 yes to 505 no.
• Town of Peru — 0 yes to 0 no.
• Town of Red Cedar — 140 yes to 457 no.
• Town of Sherman — 34 yes to 73 no.
• Town of Spring Brook — 8 yes to 71 no.
• Town of Stanton — 8 yes to 12 no.
• Town of Tainter — 127 yes to 226 no.
• Town of Weston — 18 yes to 58 no.
• Village of Knapp — 14 yes to 67 no.
