VERY MUCH.

>> THANKS, FREDERICA.

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

>> AS WE MENTIONED, NEXT TUESDAY, MANY VOTERS ACROSS THE STATE WILL DECIDE ON THE FUTURE OF THEIR LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT.

62 DISTRICTS ARE ASKING VOTERS TO APPROVE AN OPERATING REFERENDUM WHICH ALLOWS DISTRICTS TO RAISE THEIR TAX LEVY IN ORDER TO FUND DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS.

MILWAUKEE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WHERE THEY'RE ASKING VOTERS TO APPROVE $252 MILLION OVER FOUR YEARS, BUT THE NEEDS VARY ACCORDING TO SIZE.

SEEKING JUST $500,000 A YEAR.

WHAT'S CONSISTENT IS THAT, OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, THE NUMBER OF DISTRICTS GOING TO REFERENDUM HAS INCREASED AND THERE'S NO SIGN OF THE TREND SLOWING DOWN.

"HERE AND NOW" SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER, ZAC SCHULTZ, EXPLAINS WHY SO MANY DISTRICTS ARE FACING THIS FISCAL CLIFF.

>> INSIDE FORT ATKINSON SCHOOLS, THINGS LOOK NORMAL.

KIDS ARE READING, LEARNING MATH, PLAYING INSTRUMENTS.

BUT THINGS COULD LOOK DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT NEXT FALL IF THE VOTERS DON'T APPROVE THE OPERATING REFERENDUM ON THE BALLOT APRIL 2nd.

>> THIS ISN'T A REFERENDUM THAT WE CAN LIVE WITHOUT.

>> Reporter: ROB ABBOTT IS THE FORT ATKINSON ADMINISTRATOR AND THIS IS HIS THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR TRYING TO PASS A REFERENDUM.

>> TWO YEARS AGO WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE COMMUNITY REJECTED THE OPERATIONAL REFERENDUM.

AND IN THAT EFFORT, WE MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE NEEDS WEREN'T GOING TO CHANGE AND THAT WE WOULD NEED TO COME BACK AGAIN, WHICH WE DID LAST APRIL.

>> FORT ATKINSON HAS A LONG RECORD OF SUPPORTING OPERATING REFERENDUM FOR THE SCHOOLS.

>> SO LAST SPRING, WE FAILED THE OPERATIONAL REFERENDUM SOMEWHAT SIGNIFICANTLY AND IT WAS REALLY PERHAPS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE REALLY GAVE PAUSE TO THINGS HAVE REALLY CHANGED.

>> THE DISTRICT CUT $3.3 MILLION FROM THEIR BUDGET, INCLUDING 45 STAFF POSITIONS.

NOW THEY'RE ASKING FOR $6.5 MILLION A YEAR FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS TO AVOID MORE CUTS.

ABBOTT SAID JUST ABOUT EVERY DISTRICT GOING TO REFERENDUM IS IN THE SAME SITUATION.

>> THIS SPRING OR CERTAINLY WITH THE NEXT NOVEMBER ELECTION CYCLE, THAT DISTRICTS WHO AREN'T SUCCESSFUL ARE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS.

>> BUT HOW DID IT GET TO THIS POINT?

THE SHORT-TERM ANSWER BRINGS US BACK TO THE SPRING OF 2021, WHEN THE STATE HAD RECEIVED $1.5 BILLION IN FEDERAL COVID RELIEF AID EARMARKED FOR SCHOOLS.

THOSE COVID FUNDS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE USED TO HELP KIDS CATCH UP FROM PANDEMIC LEARNING LOSS AND DEAL WITH INCREASED MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.

BUT REPUBLICANS IN CONTROL OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE PASSED A STATE BUDGET WITH A ZERO-DOLLAR INCREASE IN PER PUPIL AID FOR STUDENTS FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS, COUNTING FEDERAL DOLLARS AS STATE FUNDING.

>> THIS BUDGET, MORE THAN ANY OTHER ONE THAT WE HAVE SEEN IN MY LIFETIME, GIVES HUGE INCREASES TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

HUGE.

EVEN BE ABLE TO EFFECTIVELY SPEND.

>> RIGHT BEFORE THE VOTE, HEATHER DuBOIS MADE THIS PUBLIC'S.

>> THE BUDGET THAT HAS BEEN PUT FORWARD TO OUR STATE LEGISLATURE THAT THEY WILL VOTE ON ONE WEEK FROM TODAY IN THE ASSEMBLY IS A PROMISE TO MAKE EXISTING GAPS WIDER AND TO MAKE EXISTING DISPARITIES WORSE.

>> THEY COULDN'T HAVE BEEN MORE RIGHT ABOUT THAT.

>> TODAY, SHE SAYS THE STATE HAS UNDERFUNDED SCHOOLS FOR 15 YEARS, DRAWING A STRAIGHT LINE FROM THE STATE BUDGET TO LOCAL REFERENDA.

>> OH, THAT'S AN "A" TO "B" LINE.

GET.

THE REASON THAT DISTRICTS ARE FORCED TO GO TO OPERATING REFERENDA RIGHT NOW IS BECAUSE THEY ARE ENDURING THESE DECADE-LONG CUTS.

>> SINCE THE START OF APRIL 2021, 152 SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN WISCONSIN HAVE GONE TO THE VOTERS ASKING THEM TO PASS AN OPERATING REFERENDUM.

SOME OF THEM MULTIPLE TIMES.

123 DISTRICTS, SHOWN HERE IN GREEN, HAVE PASSED AN OPERATING REFERENDUM.

DOWN BY THEIR VOTERS, SOME OF THEM MULTIPLE TIMES.

62 DISTRICTS HAVE OPERATING REFERENDA ON THE BALLOT ON APRIL 2nd.

ONE OF THOSE IS THE RICHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT.

>> IT DOESN'T SURPRISE ME AT ALL THAT MANY, MANY SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO GO TO REFERENDUM JUST TO MAINTAIN THE SERVICES THAT THEY'VE BEEN PROVIDING FOR OUR STUDENTS.

>> STEVE BOARD IS THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR.

HE SAYS RICHLAND USED SOME OF THEIR COVID DOLLARS FOR THEIR INTENDED PURPOSE.

THEY HIRED TEACHERS TO HELP WITH LEARNING LOSS.

NOW THEY NEED THE COMMUNITY TO APPROVE AN OPERATIONAL REFERENDUM IF THEY WANT TO KEEP THEM.

OUR STUDENTS, AND IN DOING SO, WE WERE ROLLING THE DICE A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE WE DIDN'T KNOW IF THOSE POSITIONS WOULD CONTINUE, AND OBVIOUSLY THEY WOULDN'T WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF A REFERENDUM.

>> RICHLAND IS ALSO ASKING FOR A CAPITAL REFERENDUM TO UPDATE THINGS LIKE AN OLD ROOF AND BROKEN BATH ROOMS.

>> OUR COMMUNITY FEELS THAT OUR, QUOTE, UNQUOTE, NEW HIGH SCHOOL, WHICH IS BUILT IN 1996, IS NEW, BUT IT'S PUSHING 30 YEARS OLD.

>> SO HOW DID WE GET TO THIS POINT?

WHILE THE SHORT-TERM POINTS TO RECENT STATE BUDGETS, THE LONG-TERM ANSWER IS OLDER THAN THE RICHLAND HIGH SCHOOL.

THE SCHOOL LEVY LIMITS WERE IMPOSED BY THE STATE IN THE EARLY '90s TO CONTROL PROPERTY TAXES.

EACH BUDGET THE STATE WOULD INCREASE THE LEVY BY THE AMOUNT OF INFLATION, BUT IN THE WAKE OF THE 2009 GREAT RECESSION AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE SCOTT WALKER ERA, THE LEVY INCREASES WERE UNCOUPLED FROM INFLATION.

>> THE SHORTFALL WAS OVER $3,000 PER STUDENT.

THAT'S A MONUMENTAL CHANGE.

>> REPRESENTATIVE SCOTT JOHNSON IS A REPUBLICAN IN THE STATE ASSEMBLY.

AND HE USED TO SIT ON THE FORT ATKINSON SCHOOL BOARD.

>> REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN IN CHARGE OF THE BIENNIAL BUDGETS AND IT'S PRETTY CLEAR THAT MOST OF US REPUBLICANS WANT TO FAVOR SCHOOL CHOICE, VOUCHER SCHOOLS, CHARTER SCHOOLS.

>> JOHNSON SAYS TOO MANY OF HIS COLLEAGUES IN THE LEGISLATURE ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH SCHOOL FUNDING.

>> MANY DO NOT UNDERSTAND IT.

IT'S A CONVOLUTED, CHALLENGING SYSTEM.

HAVE-DRIVEN A SCHOOL BUS, AS HE STILL DOES, AND BEEN ABLE TO SEE THE KIDS THAT ARE HEADING OFF TO CLASS IN THE MORNING.

>> I WANT TO GIVE THAT CHILD A GOOD MORNING GREETING SO THAT THEY'VE HEARD SOMETHING POSITIVE.

SIMPLE TRUTH IS SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE TO PASS OPERATING REFERENDA JUST TO BALANCE THE BUDGET, BECAUSE STATE FUNDING HAS NOT KEPT UP.

>> WE'RE GOING TO BALANCE LOCAL SCHOOL BUDGETS BY REFERENDUM, AND SO BASICALLY, EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT IS FACING THIS CLIFF.

EVERY THREE, FOUR YEARS, DEPENDING UPON HOW LONG THEY RUN THEIR SUNSET REFERENDA.

>> SO WHAT HAPPENS IN THAT SITUATION?

LOCAL PROPERTY TAXPAYERS SIMPLY HAVE TO PAY A LARGER SHARE OF THE COST AND WE'RE SEEING THAT ALL OVER THE STATE.

>> Reporter: IN MUCH OF THE STATE, THE SAME VOTERS WHO ARE DECIDING THESE REFERENDA ARE THE ONES WHO ELECTED THE REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS WHO UNDERFUNDED THE SCHOOLS IN THE FIRST PLACE.

>> POINTING OUT THE GAP BETWEEN WHAT VOTERS WANT, WHAT THEY'RE VOTING FOR AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, AND WHAT THEY'RE GETTING FROM REPUBLICAN LEADERS IN MADISON I THINK IS A REALLY IMPORTANT MISSING LINK HERE THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE AREN'T REALLY CONNECTING.

>> Reporter: BUT DON'T EXPECT THE SCHOOLS TO POINT THAT OUT.

>> WE'VE WORKED HARD TO BE AS APOLITICAL AS POSSIBLE, AND IT'S NOT TO OUR BENEFIT TO ALIGN, YOU KNOW, ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, BUT CERTAINLY THE DICHOTOMY SOCIETALLY IS NOT PLAYING TO OUR FAVOR.

>> THE RICHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT COULD NOT BE IN A MORE ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION POLITICALLY.

BOTH TONY KURTZ AND HOWARD MARKLEIN SIT ON THE JOINT FINANCE COMMITTEE WHICH WRITES THE STATE BUDGET.

>> I ALSO TRY TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH TONY KURTZ AND HOWARD MARKLEIN IN TERMS OF THIS IS A REALITY OF WHERE SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE AT SO THAT THEY UNDERSTAND.

>> BOTH HOWARD MARKLEIN AND TONY KURTZ DECLINED TO SPEAK WOULD YOU SAY FOR THIS REPORT.

>> THE FOLKS IN THE STATE HOUSE ARE A HUNDRED PERCENT TO BLAME FOR THAT.

>> DuBOIS SAYS BEYOND SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVING TO CONSTANTLY RETURN TO THE VOTERS, THE PROBLEM COMES WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT THE MAP AND SEE IN WHICH DISTRICTS THE REFERENDA ARE FAILING OR WHERE THEY'RE NOT EVEN ASKING FOR MORE FUNDS.

>> IT'S WIDENING THE GAPS ACROSS OUR DISTRICTS, ACROSS OUR SCHOOLS, AND IT'S REALLY GUARANTEEING THAT THERE ARE SOME KIDS IN THIS STATE WHO SIMPLY ARENER GOING TO SEE ENOUGH RESOURCE TO THRIVE UNLESS WE CHANGE THE DIRECTION THIS SHIP IS STARING STEERING QUICKLY.

>> THERE ARE SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT WILL BE DOING THE BEAR MINIMUMS ACROSS THE BOARD AND THEN YOU'LL HAVE THE HIGH RENT DISTRICTS THAT WILL SPEND ALMOST TWICE AS MUCH AND THEORETICALLY, WE'LL TRY TO TELL THE PUBLIC THAT THOSE TWO EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES ARE THE SAME, AND I WILL SUGGEST TO YOU THAT THAT'S MISLEADING.

>> REPORTING FROM FORT ATKINSON,