MADISON, Wis. — In 2024, Wisconsin voters experienced an unprecedented number of school funding referenda on their ballots, with a significant number receiving approval, as revealed in a recent report.

The Wisconsin Policy Forum indicated that school districts put forward a historical total of 241 referenda, surpassing the previous record of 240, which had stood since 1998. These referenda collectively sought an astonishing amount of $5.9 billion, breaking the earlier high of $3.3 billion set in 2022.

Voters granted approval to 169 of these referenda, which is a significant increase over the previous record of 140 set in 2018. The total amount authorized amounted to a groundbreaking $4.4 billion in new funding for schools, where $3.3 billion was designated for debt. The previous unadjusted record was $2.7 billion, established in 2020.

In total, 145 school districts, representing more than one-third of Wisconsin’s 421 public school districts, passed referenda in 2024. The Madison Metropolitan School District was notable for approving the largest requests in the state, including a striking $507 million debt referendum and an operating referendum for $100 million.

The report’s findings link the rising number of referenda to inflation that has outpaced increases in the state’s per pupil revenue limits, which regulate the funding that school districts can generate through property taxes and state support. Additionally, there is growing pressure to raise teacher salaries, compounded by the cessation of federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funding, contributing to the funding struggles faced by these districts.

The Wisconsin Policy Forum serves as a nonpartisan and independent research organization, focusing on policy analysis and recommendations.