Leaders with Milwaukee Public Schools say they're dealing with a funding crisis, with a deficit reaching the millions by 2025.
The Milwaukee Board of School Directors voted Thursday to gather information to help decide whether to put a referendum on the upcoming April ballot. A referendum would increase property taxes to help generate funding for the school district.
Referendums are something school districts in Wisconsin are increasingly relying on to operate. During the 2023 spring election, 82 Wisconsin districts asked voters to vote on referendums related to school funding. 24 of them were in Southeast Wisconsin.
"I definitely think when we have access to funding, we have access to resources," said Angela Harris, President of the Black Educators Caucus. "Whether that be simple things for the classroom or staffing that weekend to make our schools full," said Angela Harris, President of Black Educators Caucus MKE.
Harris is a second grade teacher for Milwaukee Public Schools. As MPS weighs whether to add a referendum, she shared her initial thoughts with TMJ4's Ryan Jenkins.
"One of my initial thoughts as a teacher is that we've come to the community once already asking them to support us for the last referendum," said Harris.
In 2020, a referendum was passed increasing Milwaukee's property tax by roughly $1.60 for each $1,000 a home is worth. That's about $240 for a home assessed at $150,000, the median home value in Milwaukee.
The referendum paved the way for the district to receive an additional $87 Million per year in funding.
Ryan Jenkins: "Are there any concerns that this could just become a common, every couple of years, were asking for another referendum"?
Angela Harris: "That 100% is a huge concern as a teacher, as a community member, because now we are putting the responsibility of ensuring that all of our children in Wisconsin have free, fair public education on the backs of the people and it is our states responsibility to ensure that all students have a free and fair and equitable education".
The 2020 referendum was the first one put before voters since 1993. The referendum proposed in 1993 was rejected by voters.
Still, asking for referendums is on-trend. According to a new survey by Forward Analytics, 82% of Wisconsin's school districts called for a referendum in the past 30 years.
Harris says it's time to get informed about the budgeting process and consider demanding more school funding from state lawmakers.
"We are investing a lot into Milwaukee Public Schools and we want to see what the return is that were getting on our money and we also want to have a say on where and how the money is being spent," she said.
You can help with the information gathering process by filling out this survey.
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