Granton board to pursue $1 million referendum; whole-grade sharing memorandum with Neillsville fails

At its Dec. 8, 2025 meeting the Granton Area School District board voted to pursue a $1,000,000 non-recurring referendum to address district funding needs. The motion, made by Erica Bender and seconded by Douglas Eichten, passed on a 4–1 roll-call vote; Mark Elmhorst was the lone dissenting vote.

District Administrator Nancy Popp presented preliminary referendum scenarios and also discussed the possibility of whole-grade sharing with neighboring Neillsville, saying Neillsville had expressed interest in exploring the arrangement further. Community members asked questions during that discussion. The board voted on a memorandum to pursue whole-grade sharing with Neillsville; that motion failed on a 3–2 roll-call vote (Jamie Elmhorst and Mark Elmhorst voted yea; Erica Bender, Douglas Eichten and Sheryl Young voted nay).

Board members did not specify a timeline for placing the referendum question before voters during the meeting; the motion directs district staff to advance preparations for a $1,000,000 non-recurring referendum. The district did not provide a detailed breakdown of how referendum funds would be used at the meeting. Next procedural steps were not scheduled on the public record; board materials indicate staff will return with scenarios and timelines.