Kenosha Unified outlines referendum outreach, explains ESSER spending and potential cuts if voters reject the measure

District officials told a school committee they conducted four public town halls and more than a dozen presentations to community groups as part of outreach for an operational referendum scheduled for the coming week.

Administrators said the town halls drew roughly 60 to 100 attendees each, that staff posted a compiled Frequently Asked Questions list on the district website and that they fielded media interviews with local outlets. The goal, presenters said, is transparency: the district has posted questions and answers captured at the meetings online so residents can review them.

Officials addressed two common public questions: why the district is asking for recurring operating support while it received federal ESSER pandemic-relief funding, and how the district's spending and staffing have changed as enrollment declined. Presenters said ESSER funds were time-limited federal grants with allowable uses and reporting requirements; the district said it received about $72 million in all ESSER and related COVID funding and that those funds were spent on allowable categories such as personnel (counselors, substitute coverage, nurses), purchase services (including some HVAC and air-quality work), instructional technology and other authorized purchases. District staff emphasized that federal ESSER grants were not general recurring operating revenue and largely ended in September 2024.

The district also showed its historical revenue-limit comparisons, explaining that revenue-limit calculations differ among districts because of historical base amounts, recurring referenda and voucher pass-throughs. Presenters noted that recurring referenda permanently raise a district's base revenue limit while nonrecurring referenda do not.

Administrators also explained the operational consequences should the referendum fail: staff said a no vote would force difficult trade-offs including workforce reductions and larger class sizes; potential pay freezes; postponement of planned curriculum adoptions and professional time additions; delaying capital maintenance and safety upgrades; and fewer programs and extracurricular choices. Presenters said these are district-level proposals that would require board approval and that the exact actions would be defined in the subsequent budgeting process.

District officials urged voters to review the posted town-hall materials and the FAQ on kusd.edu and said they intend to publish annual budget reporting if the referendum passes.