Wausau School District. MWC file photo.
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – If you own property in the Wausau School District, hold onto your wallet. The school board is teeing up a large tax hike, and their voter survey is misleading and disingenuous.
First, the survey results: Some 2,000 respondents took the survey. 61% said they would support a $3-million operating referendum that would not raise the mill rate and would lead to no staff layoffs. Larger referendum amounts, at $6-million and $9-million, and the tax increases to pay for them, are underwater, supported by just 45% and 28% respectively.
For the 61% percent – the suckers – who think the school district will pull a $3-million rabbit out of its hat without raising your taxes, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you. Here’s what the disingenuous survey didn’t tell you: the $3-million in referendum money is on top of whatever tax increase the school district approves as part of its budget. They are certain to raise taxes to the maximum allowed by state law. Then they’ll tap into the $3-million if the voters approve it.
And there’s another slight of hand on taxes. You’ll be asked to vote on the $3-million in November, two months before your property tax bill arrives. Imagine voting ‘yes’ on a referendum that you’ve been told won’t raise your taxes, only to get a big property tax hike at the end of the year.
And this is before revaluation is factored in. The survey talks about the impact on a $100,000 home. There are no $100,000 homes left in the district. My home, which I bought for $100,000 four years ago is now valued at $140,000. My property taxes are likely to rise accordingly.
The school district says without the extra money, they’ll lay off about 20 teachers. Here’e the other part the school board isn’t telling you. They’re debating whether to go from 13 elementary schools to 8. Fewer schools need fewer people to run them. Perhaps 20 fewer per school. The number of layoffs should be closer to 100. And yet we haven’t been told what the financial impact of those changes might be.
The message to the school board must be ‘no,’ even at the lower $3-million referendum amount. Live within your means, and, by the way, the next time you bring in a consultant to conduct a survey, it would be nice if you level with the voters.
Chris Conley
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