The School District of Janesville will host TWO meetings to present information and answer questions about the planned referendum on the November election ballot.

5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, at Jefferson Elementary School, 1831 Mount Zion Ave.

6-7:15 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, at Edison Middle School, 1649 S. Chatham St.

Both sessions are open to the public. 

On November 3, 2026, voters will consider a four-year non-recurring operational referendum.
If approved, the referendum would allow us to exceed its state revenue limit by $18.5 million, beginning in the 2027-28 school year.

In the current referendum, taxpayers are paying $14.5 million per year, so this ask is for $4 million more beginning in 2027-2028.

An operational referendum supports people and services, not buildings.

We have made difficult cost-saving measures to manage taxpayer dollars responsibly, including: 

1) Reducing staff to align with enrollment
2) Restructuring employee health insurance, controlling costs by 1.3 million in 2025-2026
3) Continuing to identify opportunities to reduce ongoing expenses

This referendum is a renewal of the current two-year operational referendum in place. We are asking SDJ taxpayers to renew that funding for an additional four years.

The Wisconsin Policy Forum presents a data dashboard providing a comprehensive look at how the district is functioning. The tool features seven fully interactive sections, with data on student demographics, teacher demographics, teacher turnover, district finances, student participation, the Forward Exam, and the ACT. Use the buttons and filters on each page to further explore the data.

At the top of each page, use the “Click to Compare Peer Districts” buttons to see how Janesville stacks up against seven of its peers from around the state of Wisconsin in the most recent year for which data are available. Peer districts include Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Sheboygan Area, Stevens Point, Sun Prairie, Wausau, and West Allis-West Milwaukee.

View the WI Policy Forum, Data Dashboard for more information.

The funding from this operational referendum will help us sustain the people, programs, and services that support student success, including:

1) Comprehensive student programs and academic support services
2) Classroom technology and instructional resources
3) Salaries and benefits to retain staff
4) Utilities, insurance, and daily operating expenses

The School District of Janesville holds a Moody’s Aa2 Bond Rating—an indicator of strong financial health and responsible fiscal management.

An Aa2 rating signals to lenders that the district is a reliable borrower, allowing us to secure lower interest rates when financing projects. Most importantly, this helps ensure that more taxpayer dollars go directly toward supporting students and classrooms rather than paying interest on debt.

Since 2021, the school district has been paying off its debt ahead of schedule, saving taxpayers $1,680,618 in interest costs.

For example, in 2020, the community approved a $22.5 million plan to upgrade school security and replace boilers in six buildings. While the district originally had until 2030 to repay that loan, it will now be paid off in full in 2028—two years early.

To help balance the budget, the District has reduced staff to align with declining enrollment and restructured employee health insurance.

Even with these efforts, we are projecting a budget shortfall of $18.5 million next year and $31.5 million by 2031. As a result, it’s becoming harder to keep staff compensation competitive in our region.

We are not alone in facing this challenge. An overwhelming majority of Wisconsin school districts (88%) have asked their voters to increase funding through an operational referendum. This includes SDJ in both 2020 and 2024.

Despite the projected increase in housing units, the district is expected to see a further decline in enrollment. Janesville is not alone. 68 out of 72 Wisconsin Counties are experiencing declining enrollment. 

The March 2026 Community Change and Projections Report for the School District of Janesville (SDJ) provides a comprehensive analysis of demographic shifts, housing trends, and their projected impact on student enrollment through 2040.

Housing Trends
Recent Growth: Over the last 10 years, the City of Janesville permitted more than 2,000 new housing units, with 51% being multi-family units (apartments, condos, or senior housing) and 42% being single-family homes.
Student Generation: New single-family homes currently generate an average of 0.46 students per unit, while new market-rate multi-family units generate significantly fewer, averaging 0.05 students per unit.
Future Projections: The consultant projects that 2,467 new housing units will be built within the district by 2040.

Without a renewed operational referendum, the District would need to make significant budget reductions to bring ongoing expenses in line with available revenue.

Because approximately 70% of the District’s budget supports employee salaries and benefits, reductions of this size could not be achieved through supplies, utilities, or other nonstaff expenses alone. The District would need to evaluate staffing levels, programs, services, and other budget areas to determine where reductions could be made.

No final decisions have been made about specific positions or programs. However, possible reductions could affect class sizes, course offerings, student support services, extracurricular opportunities, and the District’s ability to recruit and retain qualified employees.

Staff members play a central role in student learning, safety, and well-being. Eliminating positions or reducing services could slow the academic progress the district has worked to achieve and make it more difficult to respond to students’ individual needs.

The District has built positive academic momentum, and the proposed new operational referendum is intended to help preserve that progress by maintaining the people, programs, and services that support students each day.

Wisconsin public schools are funded through a combination of state aid, local property taxes, and federal funding.

The largest sources of funding are:
State Aid: Funding provided by the State of Wisconsin through several formulas.
Local Property Taxes: Levied by the school district to help fund operations.
Federal Funds: A smaller portion of funding that supports specific programs, such as special education, school nutrition, and services for students with additional needs.

In Wisconsin, school districts use operational referendums to ask voters for permission to exceed a state-imposed "revenue limit." Without a successful referendum, many districts find it mathematically impossible to cover their basic expenses with only state funding and standard property taxes. The need for these referendums has reached record levels in 2024-2026 due to inflation, funding laws, and shifting student needs.

Between 2021 and 2026, the cost of living and doing business spiked. School districts face the same price increases as any household.

On November 3, 2026, voters will consider a four-year, non-recurring operational referendum. If approved, the referendum will allow SDJ to exceed its state revenue limit by $18.5 million beginning in the 2027-2028 school year.

Year 1: $47 x $100k of property value / for a $300k = $141 per year or $11.75 per month

Year 2: $34 x $100k of property value / for a $300k = $102 per year or $8.50 per month

Year 3: $32 x $100k of property value / for a $300k = $96 per year or $8.00 per month

Year 4: $33 x $100k of property value / for a $300k = $99 per year or $8.25 per month

The tax impact after 4 years = $438 which is $36.50/month or $8.42 per week.

In November 2024, our community approved two referendum questions for the School District of Janesville.

1) The first question was a two-year, $14.5 million non-recurring operational referendum. It will allow us to maintain small class sizes, attract and retain staff, invest in curriculum resources, and avoid program reductions. This funding will be available through the 2026-27 school year.

2) The second question was a $151.8 million capital referendum to address facility needs across our schools and move forward with Phase 1 of our long-range facilities plan.

This included:
$124.5 million to repair or replace high-priority capital maintenance needs
$16.2 million to improve special education classrooms
$11.1 million to enhance safety and security

We are incredibly grateful to our community for approving these two referendum questions. Each will have a real and meaningful impact on our students.

In November 2020, 56% of the community supported a four-year non-recurring operational measure to exceed the district's revenue limit authority.

2021-2022:  $3.5 million
2022–2023: Add an additional $4 million to $7.5 million
2023-2024:  Add an additional $4 million to $11.5 million
2024-2025:  Add an additional $3 million to $14.5 million

We recognize that taxpayer dollars represent a significant investment from our community. SDJ remains committed to careful, responsible financial management, treating public funds with the same care as a household budget.

The current two-year, $14.5 million non-recurring operational referendum to exceed the district's revenue limit authority expires on June 30, 2027. Therefore, the Board of Education must consider an administrative recommendation to place a question on an upcoming ballot. Considering the district's 2027-2028 budget development process and the fiscal year starting July 1, a November 2026 ballot question is likely.

In recent years, we have:

• Phased operational and facility needs separately to avoid asking our community to fund everything at once
• Proactively worked to prepay debt, thereby reducing local tax burden by $1.72 million
• Reduced costs wherever possible before seeking additional resources
• Leveraged one-time federal grant opportunities, related to facilities, reducing local tax exposure by $10.8 million
• Continued to have clean independent auditor reports

In 2024, our community approved a non-recurring operational referendum for the School District of Janesville. This referendum has provided critical funding to:

• Maintain small class sizes at key grade levels
• Attract and retain staff
• Invest in curriculum resources
• Continue investments in classroom technology and supporting infrastructure
• Address costs related to insurance, supplies, transportation, and utilities
• Avoid reduction that will hinder the district’s mission

We have taken a multiphase approach to address our highest-priority needs and will need to address other facilities projects in future phases. Below is a snapshot of our project plans:
Over the past 12 months, $2.9 million in referendum funds were spent on various roofing projects at Lincoln Elementary School, Washington Elementary School, Rock River Charter, Marshall Middle School, and Craig High School.

This summer, $57.8 million in approved work will commence.

• Bid Package 1A: The Educational Services Center will receive necessary work on HVAC, windows, ADA restrooms, and LED lighting. Jefferson and Wilson Elementaries will receive work on special education classrooms, windows, HVAC, ADA restrooms, and LED lighting updates.
• Bid Package 1 B: Craig and Parker High Schools will receive Auditorium technical improvements and special education classroom updates, and Lincoln Elementary School will receive special education classroom updates, windows, HVAC, ADA restrooms, and LED lighting updates.

Election day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

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