Fond du Lac School District outlines $10 million-per-year, four-year operational referendum for April 1 ballot

Fond du Lac — Leaders of the Fond du Lac School District urged community support for an operational referendum that would ask voters to authorize $10,000,000 per year for four years, saying the money would preserve current staffing, maintain facilities and fund planned security upgrades at secondary schools.

Dr. Jeff Flagg, superintendent of the Fond du Lac School District, said district academic rankings have improved sharply in recent years. “We have risen nearly 200 spots in the state rankings,” Flagg said, citing the district’s progress and arguing continued investment is needed to sustain gains.

The referendum question, officials said, will appear on the April 1, 2025 ballot. Mike Gerlach, the district’s chief of finance and operations, described the request as “an investment in stability, safety, and success.” Gerlach said the plan would cover operations, annual maintenance and security enhancements; any surplus in the first two years would be applied to security work at the district’s secondary schools.

Why it matters: district leaders told listeners the district faces a looming funding shortfall that could force program and staff cuts. Officials said Wisconsin reimburses districts for special education at about $0.30 for every dollar spent and that pandemic-related federal relief funding used for curriculum and other needs has expired. Without additional revenue, the district estimates cuts of $7 million to $9 million in year one, which could equate to roughly 80 to 100 positions and possible school consolidation.

District staff gave examples of needs the referendum would address. The district’s most recent capital referendum, approved six years earlier, was for $98 million against an identified $145,000,000 in facility needs; officials said that left about $47,000,000 of work outstanding, including roofing, parking lots and HVAC replacements. At the high school, staff said security improvements are planned if the referendum passes: adding two secured entrances and upgraded cameras and monitoring for nearly 70 exterior doors.

District officials also presented details on taxpayer impact. Gerlach said the average tax impact would be about $62 per year for every $100,000 of home value over the four years (about $5 per month). He noted the district’s current mill rate is $5.97 per $1,000 of property value and that Fond du Lac is one of the lower-rate districts in the area.

Academic context and outlook: administrators credited sustained instructional investments for recent gains. Dave Mikkelkiewicz, principal of Fond du Lac High School, and Matt Steinbeth, chief academic officer and incoming superintendent, described improved growth scores that place the district above pre-pandemic levels in math and reading growth measures referenced in external research cited by the presenters.

What happens next: district leaders urged community members to vote on April 1. The transcript of the presentation records no board vote on the referendum; the district will place the question on the public ballot for voters to decide.

The presentation included several quantitative details provided by district staff: the referendum amount ($10,000,000 per year for four years); estimated tax impact ($62 per $100,000 home value per year); current mill rate ($5.97 per $1,000); special education reimbursement reported as $0.30 on the dollar; previous capital referendum amount ($98,000,000 approved six years prior) and an identified $145,000,000 in facility needs at that time; and an enrollment decline from about 7,000 students historically with a drop of approximately 386 students related to pandemic decisions.

For now, the district’s request is informational and will be decided by voters on the April 1, 2025 ballot.