Teachers, retirees and residents urge Elkhorn community to vote yes on April 1 referendum; some object to mailers sent home with students

Dozens of residents and district employees urged the Elkhorn Area School District Board of Education to support a March 1 referendum that would provide additional funding to maintain current programming and staffing.

At the March 10 meeting, several teachers described long hours, unpaid out-of-pocket classroom costs and the district’s reliance on local support, while others thanked the board and district staff for outreach ahead of the vote. Some parents and residents asked the district to stop distributing referendum literature through students.

"All we've ever asked for is respect and the funds to continue our work," said Desiree Hegador, a teacher at Tippett Elementary, noting that a "vote yes will enable teachers to continue our work, not expand programs, but to continue our current programming, class offerings, and extracurricular opportunities." Hegador, who said two of her children graduated from Elkhorn schools and then from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, asked the community to "show support to its teachers, families, and future by voting yes on April 1."

Retired educator Ellen Holly, who described the district mailer about the referendum as "probably the best piece the district has ever sent out regarding a referendum because it is easy to read and it addresses the" key questions, said she expects the tax impact on her to be "about $8.86," and called that manageable.

Tibbetts first-grade teacher Molly Claypool said she supports the referendum and the superintendent and school business manager, adding, "Please vote yes to our referendum on April 1 and continue to show everyone in Elkhorn that this isn't an issue of spending. It is an issue of lack of funding." Kayla Crane, a school counselor at Tibbetts, urged the board to keep children in neighborhood schools, saying the stability "helps them have a better chance of thriving academically and socially."

Other speakers raised concerns about how campaign materials are being distributed. Kelly Walbrandt, who said she served on the district’s financial stability ad hoc committee in late 2023, asked the board to consider a policy that prevents referendum literature from being sent home with children because "they're not able to vote on it, and we keep it in the hands of the adults." Devin Gavin echoed that point, saying, "What we don't need to have happen is having [referendum literature] sent home through our children."

Board and staff members responded that outreach has included mailers, texts and community presentations, and that district leaders plan to keep communicating details to voters. The board did not take any policy action on the distribution question during the meeting.

The district’s referendum materials include a tax-impact estimate and detail choices the district would make if voters do not approve the measure; speakers on both sides said they appreciate the information being shared but disagreed about whether school-based distribution to students is appropriate.

The public-comment period lasted about 90 minutes, with a mix of teachers, retirees, parents and community members participating. The district reminded attendees that speakers had a three-minute time limit during the community participation portion of the agenda.