APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – The Appleton Area School District held the first in a series of community information sessions Wednesday night as it asks voters to approve a four-year operational referendum this spring.
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District leaders say they are facing a roughly $13 million budget shortfall and are asking voters to approve $15 million per year for four years, beginning in the 2026–27 school year.
Superintendent Greg Hartjes said the meetings are meant to share details and answer residents’ questions.
“In the fall, we had several information sessions and they were more to gather input from our community,” Hartjes said. “What we are doing tonight and the next several weeks is just sharing information and answering any questions they might have.”
District officials say rising costs and state funding that has not kept pace with inflation are driving the need for additional local funding.
“For the last three years, all school districts in Wisconsin have seen funding that has not kept pace with inflation,” Hartjes said. “Inflation rates of 5–8 percent over the last three years are just something that can’t be managed with the current budgets that the state provides for us.”
Hartjes also noted Appleton spends about $2,000 less per student than the state average, something he says the district hopes to address.
“We know that in our community that supports public education, that’s not acceptable and we are looking at seeing a way to move forward and meet the needs of our students through a referendum,” he said.
If approved, most of the funding would go toward maintaining current programs, staffing and class sizes. About $2 million per year would expand student support services, including adding full-time school counselors in neighborhood schools and increasing access to social workers.
The district estimates the tax impact would be about $15 per $100,000 of property value — or roughly $45 per year on a $300,000 home.
Some residents at the meeting said they support the plan.
“I didn’t realize that the state legislature determines the amount that each school district gets,” Appleton resident Joe Vandomelen said. “I was surprised to learn that there’s no data that they look at or formula that they use. I thought, ‘Hmm, it’s more subjective than factual.’”
Vandomelen said he plans to vote in favor of the referendum.
“It’s absolutely important and money well spent,” he said.
Hartjes said feedback from parents and community members has largely been supportive so far.
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“We know that parents obviously have a vested interest in education, but we hope that our community sees the value in this as well,” he said.
Voters in the Appleton Area School District will decide on the referendum during the April 7 election. District leaders say additional information sessions will be held in the coming weeks.
