We are grateful to announce that operational referendum question that was on the ballot on Tuesday, November 5 has passed, allowing us to avoid substantial cuts to programs, services, and staffing across our schools.
Thank you for supporting this referendum! The successful passage of the referendum is a testament to the strong community spirit and commitment to our students. Even with this extra taxpayer support, the District’s mill rate will still be $0.10 less than the previous year.
With the referendum's approval, the School Board will be authorized to exceed the district’s state-imposed revenue limit by up to $1.4 million annually for the next four years. While you don’t directly see the impact of an operational referendum as you did with the improvements made with the support of the 2022 capital referendum, this additional funding will ensure that we can continue to provide the high-quality education our students deserve.
We sincerely appreciate the engagement we have seen from our community throughout this process. We have had some productive conversations about the future of our schools and will continue these conversations as we move forward with our budgeting process. It's important to note that due to the state funding formula in Wisconsin, community support through referendums is necessary to maintain the quality of education our students receive. Your ongoing support is vital as we strive for excellence in education.
Official results were certified on November 11, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. in the School District Office. Thank you once again for your support of Jefferson Schools and for helping us empower the futures of the students we serve!
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The School District of Jefferson is a big point of pride in our community. In partnership with the community, the mission and vision of the district are "Empowering Futures Together" so that all students positively impact society.
While we are proud of our successes, the district also faces significant financial challenges. These challenges are largely out of our control and tied to the state’s school funding formula, a lack of aid to public schools in recent years, and rapidly increasing costs.
On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, SDOJ residents will vote on an operational referendum question to address these challenges and ensure a bright future for our schools and the students we serve. |
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The needs of our students and the demands on our district have escalated, especially in the realms of special education and mental health services. Our school district faces critical needs that necessitate local support through the proposed referendum.
Minimal state aid and a state-imposed revenue limit, coupled with the end of ESSER funding, have not kept up with inflationary pressures and student needs. The district continues to adapt and right-size to our evolving community, but we worry that additional reductions will severely impact the quality education our community has come to know and expect from our schools.
Over the last decade school operational costs have increased, state funding has not kept up with inflationary pressures and student needs, and the overall enrollment of the District has declined. This coming year will also mean the end of ESSER funding which altogether leads to a significant fiscal cliff and budget deficit despite responsible fiscal management.
Without the community's support, maintaining comprehensive educational and co-curricular programs, including elementary reading, behavioral and mental health resources for students, school safety and technology infrastructure, as well as sustaining student-to-staff ratios, would be challenging.
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Aumento de los costes operativos + Financiación estatal insuficiente + Fin de la financiación de Esser + Disminución de la matrícula general = Déficit presupuestario
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On November 5, 2024, the Jefferson School Board is asking our community to approve an operational referendum. If it is approved, the district will be able to exceed its state-imposed revenue limit by $1.4 million per year over the next four years. The referendum would then expire unless voters approved a new referendum.
The funding secured through this proposed referendum is vital to ensure our district can avoid significant cuts to essential programs, services, and staffing across our schools, safeguarding the overall well-being and education of our students.
Our top priorities would be maintaining:
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Educación integral y programas co-curriculares, incluida la lectura elemental | Recursos de salud mental y conductual para estudiantes | Infraestructura tecnológica y de seguridad escolar | Mantener la proporción de estudiantes por personal
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BALLOT QUESTION: “Shall the School District Jefferson, Jefferson County, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $1,400,000 for the 2024-2025 school year and for each of the succeeding three school years thereafter, for non-recurring purposes to fund operating costs to maintain educational and co-curricular programs, including elementary reading; behavioral and mental health resources for students; school safety and technology infrastructure; and to sustain student to staff ratios?”
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One of the most significant challenges facing school districts like ours is the lack of predictable, sustainable funding. This funding supports the operational costs of our district including staffing, maintenance, programming, student supports, safety, technology, and more. School District costs continue to significantly exceed the revenue we receive from the state budget.
Like all Wisconsin districts, the School District of Jefferson has a state-imposed revenue limit based on a formula established in 1993. This outdated formula, paired with minimal state aid for public schools in recent years, has led many school districts to seek local support through operational referendums. Over the last decade, more than half of Wisconsin districts have received similar approval from voters.
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SDOJ has been actively right-sizing to control expenditures and adapt to the evolving needs of our community. The District has already made significant cuts to balance the budget, including over $675,000 alone over the past year. SDOJ continues to engage in strategic financial decision-making to provide the greatest educational experience for our students despite growing needs and limited resources.
Looking ahead, even after district-rightsizing efforts, budget cuts, and utilizing a fund balance to cover the deficit, without an approved referendum SDOJ will face a projected deficit of over $600,000 in the 2024-2025 school year with our budget forecast models showing significant projected budget deficits over the next four years (see below) meaning further reductions will be needed to balance the budget.
| Budget Year |
2024-2025 |
2025-2026 |
2026-2027 |
2027-2028 |
| Projected Deficit |
$646,916 |
$1.5 Million |
$1.9 Million |
$2.3 Million |
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- Advanced Learning program
- Pupil Services position
- Reading Interventions
- Math Interventions
- District Health/PE Courses
- Elementary classroom sections
- General Music programming
- Band programming
- Eliminate/Reduce select JHS elective offerings
- JMS Tech Ed program
- JHS clerical staff reduction in days
- Regular Education paraprofessionals (3)
- Reduction in hours for currently full-time classroom and library paraprofessionals
- Athletic contests and teams to save on transportation, staffing, and officiating costs
- Reduce community access to District facilities to save on custodial and energy costs
- Recess supervision reductions
- Supervisor of Custodians position
- Custodial Staff part-time positions (3)
- District Office clerical staff reduction
- Increase employee contributions to Insurance
- Salary & Wage Freezes as Needed
- Additional Building Allocation Freezes
- Delay Maintenance Projects
- Reduce IT Budget
- Eliminate the Sullivan Principal
- Reduce the Middle School Associate Principal
- Eliminate the Director of Curriculum & instruction Position
- Change JMS from a Middle School to a Junior High Philosophy (less exploratories, 6 or 7 periods)
- Replace the High School Associate Principal with a Dean of Students *OR Eliminate the Athletic Director and add duties to the High School Associate Principal
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Early estimates indicated a mill rate of $9.05 (for reference, last year’s mill rate was $9.04). With an approved referendum on November 5th, conservative updated budget estimates point to a mill rate of $8.99 which would be the lowest in over a decade. If approved, residents would see a projected property tax decrease of $0.05 for every $1,000 of equalized property value (shown as the fair market value on your tax bill). The equalized valuation is certified by the Department of Revenue annually on October 1st and is used for calculating a municipalities responsibility of the total levy. This is used to avoid discrepancies between local reassessment practices. The mill rate decrease equates to $1.00 for every $100,000 of equalized property value. The chart below details SDOJ’s mill rate since 2013.
If the referendum is not approved in November, the estimates point to a mill rate of $8.95*. This means an approved referendum would be a difference of $0.04 for every $1,000 of the estimated fair market value on your tax bill. The chart below shows the tax impact of a passed referendum.
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Tasa de molienda proyectada con un referéndum aprobado: $8,99 / Tarifa del molino proyectada sin un referéndum aprobado: $8,95
Assumptions: *Mill rate based on the 2024 Equalized Valuation (TID-OUT) of $1,667,940,805 (8.5% increase) with annual increases of 3.5% thereafter.
Represents an estimate of the projected annual mill rate increase over the district's projected 2024-2025 mill rate of $8.95. This includes debt payments and defeasance totaling $5,548,926. Changes in Equalized Property Value, State Aid, FTE (Full Time Equivalency) and other variables can result in property tax changes.
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Tax Impact per $100,000 of property value
| Property Value |
Monthly Impact |
Annual Impact |
| $100,000 |
$0.33 |
$4.00 |
| $200,000 |
$0.66 |
$8.00 |
| $300,000 |
$1.00 |
$12.00 |
| $400,000 |
$1.33 |
$16.00 |
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The increased school levy tax credit (SLTC) will help offset some of this impact. Residents can find that amount listed on their tax bills.
The SLTC was increased in the 2023-2025 state biennium as a way for residents to save on taxes. This credit is given out by the Department of Revenue based on how much each area contributes to school taxes compared to the whole state over the past three years. The more a community pays in school taxes relative to the rest of the state, the higher the credit they receive. It’s one of the ways that state legislators chose to support schools and communities in this biennium by providing an increase to give back to communities that contribute more to school funding by offering them credits on their taxes.
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If you have a question regarding the referendum you can email referendum@sdoj.org or reach out to the Superintendent, Charles Urness, or Director of Business Services, Ryan Bandt.
There are also several learning opportunities and time for questions available to the community. (View the "Stay Informed" section for dates)
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