Survey finds mixed community backing for November operational referendum; weighted support about 47%

A community survey conducted for the Middleton‑Cross Plains Area School District found broad satisfaction with the district but only tepid weighted support for a proposed November 2026 operational referendum, the Donovan Group told the school board on Monday.

Tracy Gens, director of survey research for the Donovan Group, said 1,818 people completed the survey and the firm weighted responses to approximate likely voters. "We had a great tool to work with," Gens said, and summarized the headline numbers: overall satisfaction near 88% and, after weighting, roughly 47% combined support for the three nonrecurring four‑year funding options presented in the survey.

The survey included three dollar options the district asked respondents to consider; Gens provided tax‑impact examples for a $100,000 home, estimating annual impacts by the fourth year of about $247, $268 and $297 for options one through three, respectively. Gens said the comparison group (nonaffiliated community members) and affiliated respondents (those with students or district ties) showed different patterns of support, and the weighted result reflected both groups.

Board members used the presentation to probe how the survey framed the question and whether respondents understood that a new referendum would be a continuation rather than an added, stacked tax. "There are two types of referendums ... voters can get confused," board member Bob Green said, urging clearer education. Superintendent Dana Menog said the district had included explanatory material and graphics in the survey but acknowledged that repeated outreach would be needed: "It's complicated," she said, and recommended public education efforts to explain what a continuation versus a recurring question means.

Gens also described reasons cited by likely voters who opposed the proposals, including concerns about tax burden, perceived insufficient expense reductions in the district and preferences for state‑level solutions.

The board and administration discussed using the survey to refine question language and the size of the request; Menog told the board it must make decisions about potential ballot language by the end of August and planned a series of follow‑up conversations to weigh tradeoffs between revenue and potential cuts.

The board did not take a vote on whether to place a referendum on the ballot; district leaders said additional education and policy work will precede any final decision.