Part 4: School District Administrator Chris Nelson explains the proposed multi-million-dollar referendum

By Chris Nelson

District Administrator

Iola-Scandinavia School District

On Tuesday, Nov. 3, voters in the Iola-Scandinavia School District will decide on a four-year, non-recurring operational referendum. Here’s what families and community members should know before heading to the polls.

A Track Record Worth Building On

In the most recent state report card, Iola-Scandinavia was recognized for “Exceeding Expectations,” earning an overall score of 78.3. This is up 8.8 points from the previous year, one of the largest gains among Central Wisconsin Conference schools. That score placed I-S ahead of every other district in Waupaca County and outperformed 83% of K-12 school districts across the State of Wisconsin.

Why the District Is Asking?

First and foremost, the Operational Referendum that the voters have supported since 2016 to maintain quality student programming has expired.

Like many Wisconsin school districts, Iola-Scandinavia operates under a state-imposed revenue limit that caps how much money the district can raise through a combination of state aid and local property taxes. The district has no control over how much aid it receives from the state. Combined with inflation, rising special education and mental health costs, and declining enrollment, that limit has left the district without enough revenue to fully fund current programs and services.

If state general aid had kept pace with inflation since 2009, districts like Iola-Scandinavia would receive roughly $3,571 more per student every year, which totals about $2 million more in the current school year alone.

The district’s previous operational referendum, first approved by voters in 2016 and renewed in 2020, expired at the end of the 2025-26 school year. Without a replacement, the district would operate at a significant deficit.

What’s Being Requested?

The November ballot question asks voters to approve raising the district’s state-imposed revenue limit by $1,200,000 for 26-27, and $1,500,000 for the next 3 years.

This is a smaller request than the referendum voters considered in April 2026, which asked for $1.6 million in year one and $2 million annually after that (a $7.6 million total impact). The November proposal reduces the total four-year impact from $7.6 million to $5.7 million.

For context, recent voter-approved operational referendum amounts have ranged from $1.25 million to $1.6 million per year since 2020-21. This request is in line with the district’s recent history of relying on this funding tool.

Estimated Property Tax Impact

An approved referendum is estimated to raise the average annual school district property tax by $25 for every $100,000 of fair market property value, above the current tax rate.

Notably, the district’s school levy (mill) rate has actually fallen in recent years from $11.05 per $1,000 in 2019-20 to $6.98 per $1,000 in 2025-26. This is even as the district has relied on operational referendums throughout that period.

A Word About Property Reassessments

Some residents have also seen news about property reassessments in the area and are understandably concerned about how that might affect their tax bills. It’s important to understand that a reassessment and the referendum are two separate things:

A reassessment updates how the tax burden is shared among property owners. It does not automatically increase the total amount the school district collects.

The school district’s levy is set independently through its annual budget process, and a reassessment does not create new revenue for the district on its own.

Applying an old mill rate to a newly reassessed property value can produce a misleading, inflated estimate of your future tax bill. If most properties in the community rise by a similar percentage, an individual homeowner’s relative tax burden may change very little.

For example, from 2024-25 to 2025-26, the district’s equalized property value rose about 11.2%, and its total school levy rose about 9.2%. The school tax rate actually declined by roughly 1.8%. Residents with specific questions about their own assessment should contact their local municipal assessor, who can explain the basis for the assessment and the local review (Open Book/Board of Review) process.

What Would an Approved Referendum Support?

• Maintaining current academic programs and services,
• Limiting future teacher and staff reductions,
• Maintaining smaller class sizes,
• Continuing the district’s positive academic momentum, and
• Addressing maintenance needs.

The District Has Already Cut Costs

Before turning to voters, Iola-Scandinavia took a number of steps to reduce spending, including:

Reducing teaching and education staff through attrition, and two additional teaching positions (HS Physical Education and HS Business) since April

Consolidating administrative roles, including after eliminating the district-owned bus fleet.

Partnering with CESA 5 for shared services and collaborating with RVA for student services.

Increasing employee health insurance deductibles.

A pay freeze for teachers, administrators, and support staff.

Reductions to field trips and some coaching positions.

No updates to student technology and delays to some maintenance projects.

Not an Isolated Issue

Iola-Scandinavia is not alone. Since 2021, 222 school districts across Wisconsin have asked voters to consider a non-recurring operational referendum, and there have been 117 operational referendum questions on ballots statewide since January.

For full FAQs and more detailed information, visit iola-scandinaviareferendum.org.

Learn More

The district is hosting a series of community information sessions:

• September 22 – Iola-Scandinavia High School Auditorium, 6 p.m.
• October 13 – Village of Iola Meeting, Iola Village Hall, 5:30 p.m.
• October 19 – Iola Lions Meeting, 6 p.m.
• October 21 – Iola-Scandinavia High School Auditorium, 6 p.m.