Superintendent’s Corner…
A crash course on the upcoming Merrill Schools referendum
One of my goals entering this November’s school referendum was to make sure everyone had as much information as possible heading into the election to make an informed decision. To that end, I have presented to many, many groups, have held information nights, have sent mailers home, have kept our webpage updated with all of the latest referendum information, and even did weekly Facebook Live broadcasts over the course of the last nine weeks. We will continue to provide information right up to election day, so there is plenty of information out there for those that want to know why MAPS needs a referendum and what the funds will be used for.
This Superintendent’s Corner will probably be my last chance to reach Foto News readers before the election, so I thought I would provide a condensed version of everything you need to know about the upcoming referendum in one easy-to-read list. Think of it as the MAPS Referendum version of Cliffs Notes or a Reader’s Digest Condensed “Novel” if you will. So, here goes:
• In 2018, voters approved a 4-year, $2.5 million operations referendum to maintain programs, support operations, and provide maintenance of the school district facilities. That referendum expired this past summer.
• In April of 2022, MAPS asked voters to renew that expiring referendum with a new 4-year, $2.5 million referendum–a continuation of the 2018 referendum that was set to expire. That referendum failed at the polls (although it was close).
• Feedback from voters is that they simply did not have enough information or an understanding of the issues to vote yes. When I started as Superintendent this July, I asked our Board to bring the question back to voters in November, with the understanding that we would do a much better job of informing voters about the issues this time.
• Some background: State revenue limits (the amount that determines each school district’s budget every year) went into effect in 1993 and were based on what a district spent in 1992. Merrill has been at the lowest level of state funding ever since. In fact, Merrill receives the lowest amount of revenue allowed by the State and much less than many of our neighboring districts. Doesn’t seem fair, but it is our reality.
• The reason MAPS needs this referendum is simple: State funding and revenue limits have not kept up with costs. In fact, in six of the last eight years there have been no revenue limit increases provided to schools from the State. This is not a sustainable formula for our District (and many others).
• As a result, many schools have had to turn to referendums. Over the last 10 years, more than 80% of Wisconsin school districts have brought referendum questions to voters for extra funding to support their schools. Voters get it: in April of 2022, over 90% of non-recurrring operations referendums (just like the one MAPS is presenting in November) were supported by local communities and voters.
• This is a real issue and something that is not unique to Merrill. Last I heard, there were over 90 public school referendum questions on ballots in Wisconsin this year.
• This referendum is crucial to help MAPS simply MAINTAIN our programs, buildings, and opportunities for our students and our community. The funds will be used to keep and attract the best teachers and staff possible; help keep class sizes at acceptable levels; address maintenance and safety projects that have been delayed; purchase textbooks, technology, and other classroom resources; help maintain courses and programs such as the arts and tech ed; and maintain the Fab Lab.
• If it fails, MAPS will have to make significant reductions and cuts in all areas of our district, and everything will be on the table for consideration. This means that class sizes will increase; courses and programs will have to be cut; auxiliary services such as counselors, social workers, aides, administration, librarians, (etc.) will be reduced or eliminated; and all extra- and co-curricular activities would need to be considered for reduction. In short, MAPS would look like a very different place next year and in the years after that, and our students would have a very different experience moving forward.
• We have worked very hard to be good stewards of taxpayer funds and will continue to do so. MAPS is debt free, we continue to find efficiencies and adjust our operations with declining enrollment, and we will continue to do that regardless of the referendum outcome.
• Because the April referendum failed, your local property tax bills will be smaller this December. If the November referendum passes, they will go back up–there’s no way around that. However, our mil rate is the lowest it’s been in many, many years and is much lower than that of many of our neighbors. In fact, if this referendum passes, the mil rate will still be lower in December of 2023 than it was in December of 2021.
• I have learned a great deal from voters this fall. As a result, we will be very transparent about how the funds are being used and will report to our voters where the $2.5 million is spent each year. You will know where your money is being spent.
• It’s unfortunate that so many districts are having to turn to a referendum to keep schools operating at a level that the community expects. This is a big issue for the Merrill community this fall, and I appreciate people taking the time to become informed.
• You can learn much more by visiting the MAPS website at mapsedu.org, checking out the Merrill Area Public Schools’ Facebook page, or by calling me at 715.536.4581, ext. 10002. I’d be happy to answer any of your questions.
Please vote on this important issue on Nov. 8.
– Shannon Murray