On November 3,
vote YES
for Brillion kids.

Public schools receive funding from two primary sources: state aid and local property taxes. In Wisconsin, the state determines how much revenue a school district is allowed to receive each year. This is known as the revenue limit.

If the revenue limit remains the same as the previous year but state aid increases, local property taxes generally decrease. If the revenue limit increases while state aid remains unchanged, the school district may increase property taxes to reach its authorized revenue limit. If a school district needs to spend more than the revenue limit allows, it must ask voters to approve an operating referendum.

For many years, Wisconsin adjusted school revenue limits based on the rate of inflation. In 2008, however, the state replaced that system with a fixed increase of $325 per student. Over time, that amount has not kept pace with inflation. In some years, the Legislature approved no increase at all, causing school districts to fall even further behind rising costs.

At the same time, Wisconsin expanded funding for private school voucher programs. What began as a program for lower-income families is now available to many more students. The funding for these vouchers is raised through property taxes but does not go to the local public school district. In Brillion, approximately $800,000 in property tax revenue was directed to voucher schools in 2025, and that amount is expected to increase.

The combination of revenue limits that have not kept pace with inflation and the growing cost of the voucher program has created financial challenges for school districts across Wisconsin. As a result, nearly 90% of Wisconsin school districts have sought voter approval through an operating referendum at some point.

In April 2026, the Brillion School District placed a $2.2 million operating referendum on the ballot. When the referendum failed, the school administration and Board of Education were required to make approximately $2 million in budget reductions.

Those reductions fell into two categories. The first consisted of long-term cuts, including reductions in administration, teaching staff, classroom aides, high school programs, athletic programs, coaching positions, professional development, building maintenance, and travel. Some extracurricular activities, including marching band and jazz band, were also affected. Since then, several community organizations have stepped forward to help fund some of these programs and activities.

The second category consisted of one-time budget measures. While these actions helped balance the budget for the current year, they are not sustainable long-term solutions. They included a wage freeze for all employees, reallocating certain grant funds to cover some special education teacher salaries, eliminating most of the IT budget, delaying the purchase of student devices, eliminating travel and professional development, eliminating one bus route, and using funds from the reserve.

These one-time measures were implemented to provide the district with time to evaluate its financial situation and determine the best path forward. As the district prepares to return to voters with another operating referendum, the community will have the opportunity to consider whether the long-term reductions already made are sufficient or whether additional reductions would be necessary if no additional operating revenue is approved.

We are truly at a crossroads for the Brillion School District. If this referendum fails, the administration and Board of Education would need to make approximately $1 million in additional budget cuts. With the average cost of employing a teacher at about $100,000, a failed referendum could mean the loss of approximately 10 teaching positions.

At the high school, there are 6.5 teachers who teach elective courses, including agriculture, art, Family and Consumer Education (FACE), band, vocal music, and 1.5 technology education positions. Even eliminating every elective course at the high school would not achieve the necessary $1 million in reductions.

At the elementary and middle schools, there are generally three sections per grade, with approximately 60 to 65 students in each of the eight grades. Eliminating one teacher from every grade would increase class sizes to roughly 30 to 32 students per classroom, yet those reductions alone still would not reach the $1 million target.

These realities raise important questions. What parent would choose to send their child to a school with classes of 30 to 32 students taught by a single teacher without classroom aides? What student would want to attend a high school where the curriculum is limited to English, mathematics, science, and social studies because elective courses have been eliminated?

It is also important to remember that previous budget reductions included cuts to professional development and building maintenance. Over time, those reductions can affect both the quality of instruction and the condition of school facilities.

Ultimately, this referendum is about more than the amount an individual property owner might pay in taxes. It is about the future of Brillion Public Schools and the educational opportunities available to the students and families they serve.