In the wake of voters’ rejection of a key operational referendum in April, the Iola-Scandinavia School District is taking a data-driven approach to understand community priorities and explore a potential modified funding request for November 2026.
The district board is expected to vote Monday, May 11, on entering a contract with School Perceptions, a Wisconsin-based independent educational research firm, to conduct a comprehensive district-wide survey. School Perceptions has worked with more than 10,000 schools nationwide and is used by numerous Wisconsin districts, including Bayfield, Cameron, Kaukauna, New Lisbon, Sheboygan, Spring Valley, Waunakee, Lake Mills, Janesville, and De Pere.
The firm’s tagline sums up its mission: “We help educational leaders gather, organize, and use data to make strategic decisions.”
Background on the failed referendum
In January, the school board approved a four-year, non-recurring operational referendum question for the April 7 ballot. If passed, it would have allowed the district to exceed its state-imposed revenue limit by $1.6 million in the 2026-27 school year and $2 million annually through 2029-30.
The measure aimed to sustain academic programming, student opportunities, and day-to-day operations amid Wisconsin’s challenging school funding environment and rising costs. The district had relied on similar voter-approved operational referendums since 2016. Without renewal, officials warned of potential staff reductions, larger class sizes, program cuts, and delayed maintenance.
Voters rejected the proposal, joining 26 other Wisconsin districts whose referendums failed in the spring 2026 election. Reactions in the community were mixed, with some residents expressing disappointment over impacts on schools and local vitality, while others cited concerns about property taxes, accountability, and the need for visible results from prior funding.
District Administrator Chris Nelson stated after the vote: “While I am disappointed, I respect the voters’ decision. The reality is that our budget deficit will not be going away — we will need to make difficult cuts… Moving forward, we’ll be exploring the reasons for this outcome and working to understand what future non-recurring operational referendums might be acceptable to our community.”
Proposed survey process
The community survey would serve as the first step in gauging support for a revised operational funding request on the November 2026 ballot. It aims to educate residents on the district’s financial needs, identify educational priorities, and assess tax tolerance levels.
The proposal outlines four main phases with School Perceptions:
- Strategic Development ($1,200): Identify goals, define options, set timelines, and plan pre-survey communications.
- Survey Design ($1,600): Collaborate with stakeholders to draft, approve, and prepare the survey (print and digital versions).
- Survey Administration ($2,300): Handle mailing lists, printing/mailing, electronic distribution to staff and parents, reminders, and real-time monitoring.
- Results Reports ($2,100): Deliver full data access, a final analysis report, a virtual presentation, and guidance on next steps.
Total base cost: $7,200.Optional add-ons include in-person or virtual meetings, postage, data entry, comment analysis, additional analysis, and non-English translations, all available at hourly or per-unit rates.
District leaders view the survey as a way to bridge the gap between voter feedback from April and future decisions, ensuring any new proposal better aligns with community values and fiscal realities.
The board’s decision on the contract is scheduled for its May 11 meeting. Results from the survey are expected to inform ongoing budget planning and any potential November referendum effort.
