Our schools are at the heart of our community, and we need your support to ensure continued success for our students. The upcoming referendum is crucial in pursuing high-quality educators, providing the programs that our students have found to be critical in their development and making our district marketable with our neighboring communities.
Embedded Files
The Proposed Solution:
On Tuesday, April 1, 2025 residents of the Dodgeville School District will be asked to vote on a proposed operational referendum that will impact our schools, our students, our staff, and our entire community.
If approved by voters, the referendum would allow the district to exceed its state-imposed revenue limit by $2,490,000 per year for recurring purposes.
What will the Operating Referendum Support?
Maintaining Staff: Ensuring we retain high-quality teachers and staff through funding competitive wages while protecting class sizes, and vital programs, services, and opportunities for our students.
Educational Resources: Investing in updated training and support for our staff to deliver high quality instruction and applicable skills to be competent in a time period that is changing faster than ever before.
Operational Expenses: Covering essential services such as utilities, maintenance, transportation, course offerings, and co-curricular activities that allows us to be comparable to our neighbors. We are not pursuing any building updates with these resources.
What has been done prior to the upcoming referendum?
We have already made reductions to put us in the current position:
Eliminated 25 positions over 4 years
4 Administrators or Directors (Maintenance Director, Curriculum Director, Combined HS Principal/Superintendent, & DMS Assistant Principal)
16 Professional Staff (Teachers, Counselors, Tech, etc)
5 Support Staff Members (Kitchen, Maintenance, Assistants, Paraprofessionals)
Moving into next year we have already:
Reduced an additional $350,000 in Salaries and Benefits
Reduced an additional $90,000 in Purchased Services
Reduced an additional $60,000 in Supplies
What if the operating referendum fails again?
Without the necessary funding, major cuts to essential programs and services will be unavoidable. The district will not be able to get additional funding through a referendum until January of 2027. Cuts will impact our staff, co-curricular activities, classroom experiences, and every community that is a part of the Dodgeville School District.
Without the necessary funding, major cuts to essential programs and services will be unavoidable. The district will not be able to get additional funding through a referendum until January of 2027. Cuts will impact our staff, co-curricular activities, classroom experiences, and every community that is a part of the Dodgeville School District.
We anticipate needing to make a 10% reduction in our expenses to make up for the difference in our revenue and expenses. Below is a list of all potential cuts or reductions related to staffing, course offerings, and operations:
13 staff members
9 teachers or specialists
3 support staff
1 administrator
Class size increase (average)
DES will increase from 17 students per class to 22 students in each grade level
DMS will increase from 19 students per class to 23 students in each grade level
DHS will increase from 26 students per class to 30 students in core courses
Eliminate or reduce course offerings and staffing
Alternative Education
Career & Technical Education
Elementary School Teachers
5-12 English / ELA
5-12 Mathematics
Music
Physical Education / Health
Elective academic support at the high school level will be reduced (Academic Seminar, STEAM Lab, ACT Prep)
With a reduction in staffing we must put greater focus in core instruction.
Reduction in co-curricular options, budgets, and/or events
As we look at a 10% reduction in our expenses we would reduce every program by 10%. Students will still have access to the programs that support their development rather than cut a few programs and keep the remaining fully funded or staffed.
For example:
Sports with 10 or more games would reduce 1 game
Sports with 20 or more games would reduce 2 games
Musicals and Plays would cut a performance or increase admission
Student organizations would reduce advisor compensation by 10%
Frequently Asked Questions:
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why is the referendum needed?
Like most school districts in Wisconsin, the Dodgeville School District is facing a budget shortfall due to:
Rising Costs: Inflation and operational expenses continue to increase.
Declining Enrollment: Reduced birth rates across the state are declining and open enrollment out of the district is significantly larger than the open enrollment into the district. State funding is based on enrollment, impacting our budget while only partially compensating for special education related costs and state led initiatives such as Act 20
Essential Needs: Day-to-day operations that include programming that prepares students for opportunities after graduation and competitive compensation for our staff to not only retain and also to train.
The upcoming operational referendum is not about expanding or building new facilities. We’ve already updated our buildings over the past decade so we wouldn’t need renovations in the years ahead.
Now, we need your help to sustain our operational expenses for the next decade to ensure the Dodgeville School District remains strong and competitive. We haven’t pursued an operational referendum in over a decade. In that time frame, 26 of 31 CESA 3 districts have passed an operational referendum to pay for their operational expenses, recruit staff, and strengthen their overall programs.
What is the impact on taxpayers?
The district is asking for $2.49 million for operational expenses. The anticipated mill rate increase from $5.80 to $7.86 or $2.06.
A mill rate increase of $2.06 would translate to $206 per $100,000 property value.
How was the new amount determined?
In November, we asked for $2,990,000.
We have cut $500,000 in staffing, purchased services, and supplies to reduce the tax burden on taxpayers.
The resulting ask in April will now be $2,490,000.
We won't be able to come back with a new amount without making significant cuts to our staffing and overall programming.
This request represents the amount needed to maintain a budget that allows us to be competitive in our programming and wages when compared to districts in our area.
What will the referendum support?
Maintaining Staff: Ensuring we retain high-quality teachers and staff through funding competitive wages,
Educational Resources: Investing in updated training and support for our staff to deliver high quality instruction and applicable skills to be competent in a time period that is changing faster than ever before.
Operational Expenses: Covering essential services such as utilities, maintenance, transportation, course offerings, and co-curricular activities that allows us to be comparable to our neighbors.
What will the referendum NOT be used for?
No new buildings or facilities
Fiscal negligence - No money is lost, missing, or unaccounted for
Salaries and Benefits have been put into a healthy organizational structure and accounts for 62% of the total budget:
Professional Staff - 74.8%
Support Staff - 15.4%
Administration - 9.8%
What are we investing in?
Whole Child - Whole Dodgeville School District Committed to a focus on Learning, Well-Being, and Life Readiness for our students, staff, and entire Dodgeville School District community.
Focus on Learning:
DES has exceeded expectations on the accountability scorecard 2 consecutive years and 3 of the past 4 years.
DMS has met expectations and is less than one point away from exceeding expectations.
DHS has shown almost 10 points of improvement and is within 2 points of exceeding expectations.
The district overall is 0.3 points away from exceeding expectations and demonstrated growth in all comparative metrics.
Investment in teacher training, ELA/Mathematics coaching, smaller class sizes, and academic support is proving successful.
Consecutive gains in ACT scores and record high AP course credits earned in 14 different AP courses.
Well-Being:
Investment in social-emotional screeners to support early identification of intervention needs.
Embedded social-emotional learning at each grade level.
Character development programs led by the School Resource Officer.
Community partnerships supporting the whole child.
Service learning and co-curricular involvement enrich student experiences.
96 students have contributed 1934 hours of service through 540 activities within the first half of this school year.
Life Ready: The district strives to empower students to pursue their unique PATH (Passion, Abilities, Thoughts, Heart), while exploring the intersection of students’ interests and skills for their future success.
What are levy limits and how do they impact school funding?
Think of levy limits like a household budget with a strict income cap set by someone else.
Imagine your family’s monthly income comes from two sources:
A paycheck from your primary place of work (like state funding for schools)
Side jobs (like local property taxes)
Now, let’s say someone sets a limit on how much total income your family can bring in each month—even if your expenses go up. If your paycheck (state funding) goes down, you can’t just take on more side jobs (raise property taxes) unless you get special permission (a voter-approved referendum).
This means if groceries, gas, and utilities (teacher salaries, classroom supplies, and maintenance) all get more expensive, but your income stays the same, you have to make tough choices—cutting back on family outings, canceling subscriptions, or finding creative ways to stretch your dollars.
Another analogy:
In the words of a middle schooler, think of levy limits like having an allowance with strict rules.
Let’s say your parents give you $20 a week (like state funding for schools), and you can also earn up to $10 from chores (like local property taxes). That means you have a total limit of $30 per week to spend.
Now, imagine prices go up—snacks, video games, entertainment, and movie tickets all cost more. You ask your parents if you can do extra chores to earn more money, but they say, “Nope, your total limit is still $30.”
If you really need more money, you have to ask your whole family to vote on it (just like a school referendum). If they say yes, great! You get more money. If they say no, you have to cut back—maybe avoid social events as you can no longer afford the ride to get there or the price to participate.
That’s how levy limits work for schools. Even if things get more expensive, they can’t just raise taxes unless the community agrees to it. In the event that your parents pay for more, it still doesn't mean you actually got any more money, $30 was your limit.
I don't have school-aged children. Why should I invest in the public school district?
Public education relies on the idea that all households, both with and without school aged children, contribute to funding.
High-quality public schools contribute to the overall community. For example, good schools bring in younger families, who stimulate the local economy and, in turn, support older adults through income taxes. Quality schools have been shown to lead to higher home values, stability in the community and a higher quality of life for residents.
Why can't the district make additional cuts to cover the funding gap?
While the district can continue to make cuts to help balance the budget, it cannot do so without negatively impacting the quality of education provided to our students. Additional cuts would mean even more reduced staffing, program cuts, limited resources and ultimately, a weakened school system that would negatively affect the community and local economy.
Are we spending too much on administration and need to invest more into educators and support staff?
We have reduced in administration over the past few years with a significant change this current year. Our current financial summary in our total staff salaries and benefits is aligned with other districts of similar sizes and programs.
62% of our total budget makes up salary & benefits; $7,635,667.00:
74.86% Professional Staff ($5,715,910.01)
15.38% Support Staff ($1,174,384.99)
9.76% Administrative Staff ($745,372.00)
All of our administrators are currently doing multiple roles as compared to previous administrative teams or other district. Two of our current administrators are putting on community based events, Dodger Care and Co-curriculars, which allows part of their compensation to be removed from our fund 10 budget.
If the Dodgeville School District is going to referendum, why are they starting a charter school and how is it being paid for?
Currently the district is investing in Alternative Education (SEEING Forward program) & Alternative
Placement
Staffing Salary (Teacher, Admin, Driver) $148,000.00
Tuition (Purchased Service) $54,000.00
Travel related (Fuel & Vehicle Maintenance) $7,500.00
Total $209,500.00
SEEING Forward Charter School
Teacher ~$60,000.00
Split Administration / Teacher ~$92,210.94 (Posting for the position in March or April)
Support Staff ~$40,000.00 (dependent on student enrollments in charter school; posting in April/May)
~$192,210.94 (difference will either be invested in SF or DSD)
I thought Dodgeville just went to a referendum, why do they need to go to another referendum?
In the past 10 years, 26 of the 31 school districts in CESA 3 have passed at least one operational referendum (day-to-day expenses, salaries, utilities, routine maintenance, etc). One district has passed four in that timeframe. Of the 26 districts they have combined for a total of 47 total passed referendums.
Dodgeville School District has not passed any operational referendums in the past 10 years.
The last operational referendum Dodgeville School District passed was in 2012.
In the past 10 years, 21 of the 31 school districts in CESA 3 have passed at least one capital referendum. 11 of the 31 districts have passed two or more.
Dodgeville School District has passed two capital referendums (construction or building structures) during this time.
When were the conditions ($2.49 million dollar amount and recurring) decided for the April 1st operational referendum?
The Dodgeville School District finalized the referendum conditions at the January school board meeting. In our region of the state (CESA 3) over the past 10 years, 25 of 30: 83.3% of recurring referendums have passed and 22 of 32: 68.75% of non-recurring referendums have passed. In 2024, 7 of 10: 70% of recurring referendums passed and 5 of 11: 45.45% of non-recurring referendums passed.
The recurring referendum would remain in place until the state funding model changes, enrollment increases, or other means occur to offset expenses.
The district & community retains local control and can reduce the levy each year at the Annual Meeting in October, please plan to attend so that we can make the best decisions for our students and community every year as the amount does not need to remain the same forever.
How is this going to impact my specific tax bill?
Tax Impact Calculator
Tax Impact Calculator
We encourage everyone to go to utilize our tax impact calculator to help determine what the specific amount would be for their property.
Step 1:
Click here to search for your property to find your property's Fair Market Value.
For more information on how to find your tax bill, click here.
Step 2:
Then, enter your property's Fair Market Value in the below Referendum Tax Impact Calculator to compute the potential yearly tax impact for the Dodgeville Schools portion of the tax bill for your specific property.
How does the Dodgeville School District mill rate compare to other districts in Southwest Wisconsin?
In the current year Dodgeville School District ranks 29 of 31 in school district mill rate.
Highest mill rate: $10.90
Lowest mill rate: $5.41
Dodgeville School District: $5.80
If we pass the referendum the mill rate will increase to $7.86.
Mill rates are representations of a school district's levy amount divided by total property value.
Each mill rate is per $1000 of property value.
What is Dodgeville School District mill rate over time, with an approved referendum?
We recognize that every dollar matters, especially for those on fixed incomes. That’s why we’ve worked hard to reduce the financial impact of this referendum on taxpayers by making responsible cuts over the past four years. Specifically since November we have cut $500,000 in expenses to staffing, purchased services, and supplies to reduce the ask from $2,990,000 to $2,490,000. We’ve asked for this to be a recurring referendum as we know at our annual meetings held every October, we can always reduce the amount levied.
The referendum is structured to provide necessary funding for day-to-day operations, student programs, curriculum, technology, training, and maintaining high quality educators. We are committed to transparency and will continue to be responsible with every dollar.
The upcoming referendum, combined with conservative spending, will create a tiered increase for three years and then remain stable.
2026: +$198 per $100,000
2027: +$34 per $100,000
2028: +$30 per $100,000
2029: +$0 per $100,000
2030: +$0 per $100,000
More Information:
More Information:
Voting Information:
Voting Information:
When is Election Day?
Community members will vote on the referendum on the Spring Election date of Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
Where do I vote?
Find your polling location here: https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/Find-My-Polling-Place
Municipalities:
City of Dodgeville
City Hall - 100 E. Fountain St, Dodgeville
https://dodgevillewi.gov/clerk/page/voting-elections
Phone: 608-930-5228 | Fax: 608-930-3520Town of Dodgeville
Town Hall - 108 E. Leffler St. Dodgeville
Village of Ridgeway
Ridgeway Community Center - 208 Jarvis Street, Ridgeway
https://www.ridgewaywi.gov/villageoffice/page/election-information
Voters with mobility issues who are unable to enter the voting location may vote from the curb of their polling place. Call 608-924-5881 to vote curbside.
Town of Ridgeway
Town Hall - 6300 Town Hall Rd. Ridgeway, WI
https://www.townofridgeway.org/
Town of Brigham
Barneveld-Brigham Municipal Building - 403 E. County Road ID, Brigham
Town of Clyde
Town Hall - 6281 STH 130, Avoca
Town of Eden
Town Hall - 302 N. Division St, Cobb
Town of Highland
Town Hall - 844 N. Main St, Highland
Town of Linden
Town Hall, 332 Church St, Linden
Town of Mineral Point
Town Hall - 4070 STH 39, Mineral Point
mptownclerk@gmail.com
Phone: (608) 574-5360 | Fax: (608) 935-3024
Town of Wyoming
Town Hall - 6294 STH Hwy 23, Spring Green
https://townofwyomingwi.gov/
Polling Place Hours 7:00am – 8:00pm
Community Question Box
Community Question Box
Submit your questions or comments, here!
Reach out directly with questions!
Ryan Bohnsack, District Administrator
rbohnsack@draschools.orgSchool Board Members
schoolboard@draschools.org
Join Us in Supporting Our Schools!
Your vote matters! Together, we can ensure a strong future for our students and our community.
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