MEQUON 鈥 The Mequon-Thiensville School District Board of Education Monday approved an operating referendum question by a 6-1 vote that will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot, marking the district鈥檚 first proposed operating referendum since 2006.
The ballot question will ask Mequon and Thiensville residents to approve a resolution authorizing the district budget to exceed the revenue limit by a total of $26.4 million over four years for nonrecurring purposes.
According to MTSD, the tax impact of an approved referendum would be an increase of 73 cents for every $1,000 of assessed property value in the community. For a home with a fair market value of $400,000, that means the total tax impact over four years is estimated to be $948.
"Throughout the past year, the Board of Education has engaged deeply with our community, holding thoughtful conversations and carefully considering all voices and options," Board President Jason Levash said. "Through these discussions, it became clear that an operational referendum will be necessary. This decision reflects our commitment to addressing the financial needs of our district and ensuring that we can continue to provide the high-quality educational programming that our students and families expect and deserve, while balancing sensitivity to our taxpayers."
The board鈥檚 decision comes after more than a year of consideration of the district鈥檚 financial needs and projected budget shortfalls, along with the impacts of historic inflation and lack of state funding, according to district officials.
In October 2023, the district assembled a Community Task Force group to review the current and projected budget shortfalls, consider the board鈥檚 highest-ranked alternatives from a decision analysis and make prioritized recommendations to the administration and board.
To help lessen a deficit that is now projected to total $30.6 million over the next four years, the 11member group recommended the district pursue a nonrecurring, operational referendum that would also be part of a 鈥渂undled approach,鈥 combined with philanthropic giving and the use of Fund 46 and Fund Balance, or the district鈥檚 鈥渃ash on hand.鈥
This past May, the board then invited all community members to participate in a survey to evaluate MTSD鈥檚 needs and consider possible solutions, including an operational referendum. A total of 1,117 survey responses were collected, with 57% indicating that they would be likely to support an operating referendum at a potential amount of $30 million over four years.
If voters approve the referendum, the additional revenue would immediately ensure the district鈥檚 budget can be balanced without tapping into reserves, which MTSD notes would also protect the district鈥檚 Aaa bond rating and prevent higher borrowing costs in the future, according to district officials. An approved referendum would also allow MTSD to move forward with delayed maintenance projects and manage health care costs. The district also plans to develop a competitive compensation system 鈥 including higher starting wages for support staff 鈥 to aid in the recruitment and retention of high-quality educators and staff.
鈥淚 want to extend my gratitude to our community for their active participation and invaluable feedback, especially those who participated in the Community Task Force and Community Survey,鈥 Superintendent of Schools Matthew Joynt said. 鈥淵our engagement has played a crucial role in helping the board reach this important decision. I am looking forward to the opportunity to continue to inform and engage our community around this process in support of our students and staff members. Our collective dedication to our public schools adds immense value to our community as a whole.鈥
Despite the desire to ensure students鈥 success, board member Andrew Hopkins still felt that the district could have reviewed its benefits to save millions more before taking action.
鈥淚鈥檓 torn 鈥 I鈥檓 certainly agreeing we need a referendum because our inflation, our special education costs, the lack of revenue we鈥檙e getting from the state, I concur with that. Where I鈥檓 a little concerned and where I鈥檓 almost going to say I鈥檓 a 鈥渘o vote鈥 to this is that you鈥檙e only saving $3 million off of our proposed total deficit of $30 million that you had projected, and I can tell you we can save that and three times that with some of the suggestions on the board,鈥 Hopkins said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know why we can borrow without first looking at the expenses we can cut, which the bulk of are salary and benefits.鈥
Board member Kate Barikmo, however, noted that there are consequences to those actions.
鈥淚 just don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 going to do the thing you think it鈥檚 going to do,鈥 Barikmo said. 鈥淲e can talk all day long about let鈥檚 cut salaries, let鈥檚 cut benefits, but realistically, all of those cuts come with a price 鈥 teachers, staff, anybody who works in a school have been asked to do more with less for decades 鈥 at some point, you can鈥檛 do more with less.鈥
For more information on the district鈥檚 needs, the proposed referendum and the property tax impact, go to .