AI-assisted reporting
The Iola-Scandinavia School Board will convene Monday, March 2, at 6 p.m. in Room #6 at the Elementary School, 450 Division Street, Iola, to discuss key operational and extracurricular matters ahead of the district’s April referendum and spring activities.
The Board of Education will open the meeting with a call to order, roll call, and the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by approval of the agenda. Public comment may occur as noted during the session.
In old business, the board will receive referendum updates. The district, facing ongoing financial pressures from state funding limits and rising costs, has an operational referendum question set for the April 7 ballot following board approval earlier this year. More information on the referendum appears below.
Committee reports will follow. The Building & Grounds Committee, chaired by Boris, will report. The Personnel & Nominations Committee, led by Chairperson Kirmse, will seek approvals for several volunteer and coaching positions, including softball volunteer coaches Houston Kizewski and Brooke Manley, varsity golf coach Lonnie Merchant, and baseball volunteer coach Dan Lake.
The Finance Committee, chaired by Krogwold with lay members Erikka Flowers and Mark Sether, will provide its report. The Transportation Committee, under Chairperson Neumann, will address renewal of the transportation contract and garage lease.
The Curriculum Committee, chaired by Diana Jones, will review summer and fall applications for the Early College Credit Program (ECCP) and Start College Now (SCN) programs. Reports are also expected from the Policy & Legislation Committee (Chairperson Grassl) and Negotiations Committee (Chairperson Harbridge).
In new business, the board will consider approval for two student overnight trips. The first involves the FCCLA Leadership Conference in Wisconsin Dells from April 6-8, with a cost of $155 per participant to be covered by students, fundraising, or booster club donations. The second is the DECA Career Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, from April 25-29, with estimated costs of $500-$700 per student for 3 to 6 participants.
The board will also note future agenda items, including the regular school board meeting on March 9 at 6 p.m. in the same location, a working committee meeting on April 6, and the regular meeting on April 13. The meeting is open to the public for conducting school district business.
Referendum
The Iola-Scandinavia School District’s operational referendum, set for the April 7 ballot, seeks voter approval to exceed the state-imposed revenue limit by $1.6 million in the 2026-27 school year and $2 million annually for the following three years through 2029-30.
This four-year, non-recurring proposal aims to sustain current academic programs, student opportunities, extracurricular activities, staffing levels, and day-to-day operations amid ongoing challenges from Wisconsin’s school funding system, which districts say has not kept pace with inflation and rising costs.
The district has relied on similar operational referendum funding since 2016, with a prior renewal approved in 2020 that is set to expire at the end of the current school year. Without renewal, officials have indicated potential cuts including reduced programs and services, staff reductions, larger class sizes, limits on extracurriculars, and delayed maintenance.
If approved by a simple majority of voters, the measure would result in an estimated average annual property tax increase of $41 per $100,000 of property value.
The district maintains a dedicated referendum information site here for details, FAQs, financial information, and community meeting updates. A referendum information meeting was held Feb. 17 at the high school auditorium. The next public meeting will be on Wednesday, March 18, at Iola-Scandinavia High School, starting at 6 p.m.
Wisconsin school funding challenges
Wisconsin’s K-12 public school funding system faces significant challenges, primarily due to revenue limits imposed since 1993 that cap the amount districts can raise from state general aid and local property taxes. These limits, originally designed to control property tax growth, base allowable revenue on prior-year amounts plus a modest per-pupil adjustment — currently $325 annually (extended through a 2023 partial veto by Gov. Tony Evers for centuries) — which has repeatedly fallen short of inflation and rising costs.
The core issue stems from the system’s failure to keep pace with inflation since around 2009-2011, when cost-of-living adjustments were largely eliminated or minimized amid budget constraints following the Great Recession. Estimates indicate that if revenue limits had tracked the Consumer Price Index, districts would receive roughly $3,000–$3,500 more per pupil today. Instead, statewide revenue limits per pupil hover in the low-to-mid $10,000s to $13,000s range in recent years, while actual per-pupil expenses often exceed $17,000–$19,000 in many districts, creating structural shortfalls.
This gap forces districts to rely heavily on local property taxes via voter-approved operational referendums to exceed limits and maintain programs, staffing, and services. Referendum activity has surged in recent years, with records set for the number approved as districts seek to cover essentials like salaries, health insurance, utilities, transportation, and special education — areas where costs rise faster than state support. Without referendums, districts face cuts to programs, larger class sizes, staff reductions, deferred maintenance, and even threats to school operations.
The state share of school funding has declined over time — from about 54 percent in 1999-2000 to around 45 percent in recent years — shifting more burden to local taxpayers. Special education reimbursement remains inadequate (often below 40 percent despite recent boosts), exacerbating pressures. Expiring federal COVID-19 aid has compounded the strain, leading to projected deficits in districts like Green Bay (up to $32 million in the coming years) and others.
In February 2026, a coalition of districts, parents, teachers, students, and advocates filed a lawsuit against the Legislature, arguing the system violates the state constitution by failing to provide an equal opportunity for a “sound basic education,” disproportionately harming high-needs students, and lacking uniformity. Critics highlight stagnant general aid increases despite state budget surpluses, political gridlock (including disputes over Evers’ veto authority), and a growing reliance on property taxes amid competing priorities like tax relief and private school choice programs.
These challenges leave many districts in a cycle of budget cuts or repeated referendums, limiting long-term planning and equity across communities.
