Wausau School Bell. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Voters in Wausau had a chance to learn more about the school district’s April 1st operating referendum on Wednesday
Superintendent Cale Bushman and other district leaders held an open house at West High School which included a question-and-answer session and short presentation. Bushman says an extra $8 million would go to close a looming budget shortfall and help with deferred maintenance.
“A portion of that $8 million will be used to offset the debt we will be carrying into next year,” said Bushman. “The other part will take care of deferred maintenance in our elementary buildings including HVAC systems and roof [repairs] in some of our buildings. Things that have been pushed off.”
If passed the referendum would have minimal impact on taxpayers because the money is essentially transferred from the debt servicing fund to the general fund. But Bushman says they still need to go to the voters because the question still creates an operating fund that exceeds revenue limits.
He says it is still a way for the district’s taxpayers to have a say. “What we are really saying is ‘will you allow us to slow down our debt defeasance strategy [by $8 million] and put that into our revenue so we can take care of some of our budget issue and maintenance?’ That’s exactly what the question will be- are you OK with us doing this?
“We want to get as much information as possible to the community and let them decide,” added Bushman.
Another information session is scheduled for March 11th at the East High School library. Voters can also find information on the district’s website or see a replay of Wednesday’s presentation on the district’s YouTube page.
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