MERRILL, WI (WSAU-WXPR) – Residents in the Merrill Area School District rejected a referendum for the second time. 52- percent of voters rejected it.
As a result, the district now faces significant cuts – in the range of $2 million.
Shannon Murray, district superintendent, said “you start getting in the two million range, that’s got to increase class sizes and impact resources for students, just a lot of things are going to be impacted.”
Murray says the Merrill Area Public Schools rely on referendums for funding because the district gets very little aid from the state. Despite inflation, that aid has not increased. “It’s unfortunate that so many school districts have to go to the public for operational referendums. We haven’t had the state revenue limit increases that we’ve needed, so more and more school districts are going to the communities for that.”
Murray says the district will begin looking at cuts this week.
It will finalize a budget over the winter to present to the school board.
He says the district hasn’t decided whether it will try to pass a third referendum this spring.
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