Posted: Dec. 1, 2009

Greendale — Citing the economic climate, a local committee has recommended that the Greendale School District not again ask voters in 2010 for extra money to fund its operational budget.

The district shouldn't deplete its reserves, either, according to a November report by the Citizen Budget Committee to School Board members. Instead, administrators should look for reductions and how to restructure its operations to balance its budget.

Extra tax dollars

Called operational referendums, such voter-approved measures allow school districts to exceed state revenue caps and gather a specific amount of additional taxes over a certain time period.

Greendale residents approved such a $550,000 referendum in 2000 and again in 2004. The 2004 referendum, passed with 56 percent of the vote, added $90 to the average Greendale tax bill.

The referendum is set to expire next year, prompting discussions about whether to hold another one. But in light of the economic recession, residents may not be able to shoulder more taxes, according to the report.

Many Wisconsin school districts faced with funding shortages have either held operational referendums or are studying it.

One such district is Greendale's neighbor, Greenfield, where the School Board last month unanimously gave administrators approval to go ahead with an initial investigation.

"This is certainly not anything we're excited about," Superintendent Conrad Farner told board members. "If something doesn't change at the state level, the district has no other choice. We will have to go to an operational referendum, just like half the districts in the state have already done."

Lingering financial concerns

Though recommending against the operational referendum, Greendale's Citizens Budget Committee didn't mean to imply all is well financially. Committee members had concerns about other aspects of the district's fiscal future.

It appears as if state aid will continue to fall as tax revenues at the state level continue to drop, according to the report. Federal stimulus dollars will be gone after 2010-11, drying up more revenue, and the impending governor election creates even more uncertainty about the fate of education funding.