Referendum-2022

The Waterloo School Board voted for an Operating Expense Referendum Question on the November 8, 2022 election ballot. Voters will be asked: Shall the Waterloo School District, Jefferson, Dodge and Dane Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $700,000 per year for the 2022-2023 school year through the 2026-2027 school year, for non-recurring purposes consisting of sustaining educational programming and operating expenses?

Why does the Waterloo School District Need an Operational Referendum?

The District has a long history of local officials being frugal, fiscally responsible, valuing a low mill rate, and always maintaining a healthy fund balance. The issue we currently face is not one that stems from a local decision, but one that largely centers around variable out of our local control. Those factors we cannot control include the state revenue limit formula and inflation. The District is seeing year-after-year rising operational costs that are impacting all aspects of district operations. This factor, coupled with decreasing revenue, has led to the Waterloo School District's current financial situation.

2018 - 2019
$9.79M

The percentage of District revenue from the property tax levy has been decreasing, while overall revenue has also decreased.

2022 - 2023
$9.57M

State Aid	Projected 2022-2023	2018-2019
Equalization	$5,831,705.00	$5,381,775.00
Per Pupil	581,728.00	553,938.00
Special Ed	259,263.00	291,853.00
Common School Fund	35,000.00	34,994.00
Pupil Transportation	10,000.00	15,067.98
Total State Aid Payments	$6,717,696.00	$6,277,627.98
	2022-2023	2018-2019
Property Tax Levy	$2,861,348.00	$3,516,700.00
Total State Aid and Levy	$9,579,044.00	$9,794,327.98
Year to Year Comparison	-$215,283.98

Increasing Expenses
(2019 to Present)
Electricity	Up 54%
Natural Gas	Up 174%
Water & Sewer	Up 94%

Challenges the Waterloo School District Faces:

Decreasing or inadequate state funding
Rising inflation impacting all district operations
Low population growth rate
Fewer young families entering the district
Impact of the pandemic (ie: teacher/staffing shortages)

What Will the Referendum Funds Do:

Provide ongoing educational and extracurricular programming
Address competitive compensation to attract and retain highly qualified staff
Address operational needs across all departments
Help keep class sizes smaller
Offset negative ramifications of state public education funding budget
Maintain current level of services

Your Tax Impact:

TAX IMPACT**	ANNUAL	MONTHLY	WEEKLY	DAILY
$100,000 of property value*	$71.00	$5.92	$1.37	$0.19
$200,000 of property value*	$142.00	$11.83	$2.73	$0.39
$300,000 of property value*	$213.00	$17.75	$4.10	$0.58

*Property value is based on tax roll assessment.

In most cases, actual appraisal value of your property is greater than tax assessment. Do not use an appraisal value to calculate the amount your taxes will change.
You will need to obtain the value from your tax roll assessment, then multiply that amount by a factor of 0.00095 to see your estimated tax impact.
Please contact the District Office if you want us to help you calculate this.

** Estimates only. State and local factors affect calculations.

Local Tax Mill Rate (2021)
District	Rate
Johnson Creek	11.59
Deerfield Community	10.35
Columbus	9.64
Dodgeland	9.33
Cambridge	9.12
Watertown	8.90
Waterloo	8.86
(Mill rate per thousand)

Ranked Historical Mill Rate
Year	Rate
2013-14	10.77
2015-16	10.54
2014-15	10.5
2019-20	10.4
2018-19	10.35
2012-13	9.95
2009-10	9.94
2020-21	9.94

Year	Rate
2010-11	9.75
2017-18	9.68
2016-17	9.62
2021-22	8.86
2007-08	8.86
2008-09	8.69
2022-23 (With Referendum)	8.33
2022-23 (Without Referendum)	7.14
(Mill rate per thousand)

Student Open Enrollment into the District
Year	Student Count
2011-12	25
2012-13	20
2013-14	25
2014-15	24
2015-16	38
2016-17	34

Year	Student Count
2017-18	32
2018-19	35
2019-20	46
2020-21	47
2021-22	57
2022-23	72

WSD Implemented Cost Saving Measures to Help Avoid Going to Referendum:

Health Insurance: Implemented HDHP, HSA & Employee Wellness
Transportation/Busing: Negotiated 5 years of no new increases
Dental Insurance: Switched to a self funded dental plan
Applied for and awarded more than $200K in grants: Fast Forward, DOJ Threat Assessment, School Based Mental Health Services, Immigrant Children & Youth, Bilingual/Bicultural

WSD Recent Successes:

District

98.5% graduation rate
Over $1M in scholarships awarded in '21-'22
Average student-to-teacher ratio of 17:1
18 bilingual staff
1:1 computers District wide
US News National Top High School ('20-'22)
100% highly qualified teachers
WHS/WMS 'Exceeds Expectations' on DPI District
Report Card
GOOD - McKinstry Facility assessment rating

Academics

8 Advanced Placement class offerings
National AP District Honor Roll ('18/'19)
Dual credit course offerings at Madison College
Youth Apprenticeship Program
CNC Milling Training Program
Start College Now Program
Southern Lakes Advanced Learners Network
59 students with an ACT category score of 25 or greater ('21,'22)
29 students with an ACT composite score of 25 or greater ('19-'22)

Co-Curriculars / Fine Arts

Forensics (Local, Regional, State Qualifiers)
FBLA (Local, Regional, State, National Qualifiers)
Visual Arts Classic (Local, Regional, State, National Qualifiers)
WSMA Solo & Ensemble (Local, Regional, State Qualifiers)
FFA (Local, Regional, State Qualifiers)
FFA Trap Team (WI Clay Target League State Tournament (Local, Regional, State Qualifier)
Nat'l Yearbook Program of Excellence Award
WI School Music Assoc. State Honors Project Qualifier