SHELL LAKE — On Tuesday, Nov. 5, the School District of Shell Lake will ask residents to vote on a four-year, non-recurring operating referendum that would authorize the district to exceed the state revenue limits.
When asked why the school district will be asking residents to support this referendum, Supt.Todd Felhofer was straightforward.
“This is an operational referendum so we can continue to offer the students classes and programs they’ve come to expect and enjoy; it isn’t a building referendum. We have a quality facility now and in addition to the strong reading, writing and math curriculums we offer at the elementary level, the after-school program, youth recreation programs and summer school are also important to both parents and students,” said Felhofer.
The school district has also been fortunate to offer a variety of diverse and dual credit courses for middle and high school students. Currently, the district offers Youth Apprenticeship and work-based learning options in addition to athletic and co-curricular opportunities.
“We also offer full-time programs centered on agriculture, family and consumer science, technology education and business education, among others. Some of these programs have only one staff member as an instructor, so if we’re forced to make hard decisions, we can’t eliminate one position in that program and still have it as an option for students. It will be gone and it’s really difficult to bring a program back after it’s been removed,” Felhofer said.
As an example of how difficult it is to fund a school operation these days, during the 2013-14 school year the district revenue limit was $6.62 million. Ten years later in the 2023-24 school year, the revenue limit was $6.40 million, or $200,000 less than it was a decade ago.
“For this school year, we’re projecting the revenue limit to be over $30,000 less than it was last year, and that deficit keeps growing with the passing years,” said Felhofer. “What we’re offering students now simply isn’t sustainable into the future with the current formula.”
Due to state-mandated revenue limits, Shell Lake isn’t alone in their need to have an operational referendum. Imposed revenue limits and general state aid to schools haven’t kept up with the continually rising costs. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, there are 120 school districts having referendums this calendar year, three times more than in 2023. Of the school districts that had referendums earlier this year, 60.2% of them passed. Due to the state-imposed revenue limit that hasn’t kept up to inflation since 2009, districts haven’t been able to levy enough tax dollars to cover their rising costs due to inflation. Issues as declining enrollment and, in some cases, older facilities mean some districts face difficult financial decisions.
“We’re fortunate to not be in a situation where we need a building referendum. We have a quality campus now and we want to continue offering students a quality education,” Felhofer said. “As our adage says, we want to Maintain Laker Pride.”
Felhofer wanted to remind the public they’re invited to an informational meeting on the referendum on Wednesday, Oct.16, 2024, at 6 p.m. or on Monday, Oct. 28, at 6 p.m. Both informational meetings will be held in the school library.
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