Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District will be holding a series of community engagement sessions to discuss its current budget position and future budget forecast.
In these sessions, stakeholders will have the opportunity to learn more about our district’s needs, the proposed solutions our district leaders and Board of Education have developed, and the question that could appear on the November ballot.
Our Superintendent and Director of Finance will facilitate a 30-minute presentation on the District budget and the challenges MCPASD faces in the coming years. After the presentation, community members will be placed into small groups for a breakout session to process and identify questions.
“The engagement sessions are a great opportunity for our community to learn more about the challenges the District faces in the next few years with its budget and to help the District determine the best course of action,” said Perry Hibner with the Donovan Group. “Over the past decade, we have worked hard to engage our community, and this is another example.”
Each of these following sessions will take place from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
You can sign up for a session here.
- Monday, February 21, 2022 (Middleton High School North Commons)
- Thursday, February 24, 2022 (Virtual via Zoom)
- Thursday, March 3, 2022 (Virtual via Zoom)
- Tuesday, March 1, 2022 (Park Elementary Cafeteria)
- Tuesday, March 8, 2022 (Pope Farm Cafeteria)
- Wednesday, March 9, 2022 (Virtual via Zoom)
Why is MCPASD exploring the possibility of an operational referendum in the fall of 2022?
Due to decreases in state aid and rising costs due to inflation, our district predicts a significant operational budget shortfall heading into the 2022-2023 school year and beyond.
While MCPASD has received one time monies from items such as the COVID relief packages or the sale of land we own at Pope Farm Elementary, this does not help address the year over year decreases in state aid nor the rising operational costs that impact all aspects of district operations from salaries and benefits to transportation. It’s important to note that the increased costs are continuing expenses, and the extra funds we receive can be used for one-time items but cannot support long-term issues such as salary increases.
An operational referendum asks voters for permission to exceed the state-imposed revenue limit for the purpose of funding school operations that include teacher and support staff salary and benefits, student technology software and devices, curriculum and student programming, utility and transportation costs, and general maintenance and custodial expenses.
What about the 2018 referendum?
In November of 2018, stakeholders approved a referendum to renovate or rebuild multiple schools in the district. This referendum also included an operation referendum, which is used to fund all the new positions needed to expand our schools. The referendum projects included the renovation and expansion of Middleton High School, the cafeteria addition and light interior renovation at Park Elementary School, the construction of a new elementary school (Pope Farm), and repurposing the Clark Street Community School building an Early Learning Center. It’s important to note that our district is only allowed to use monies from this referendum for these projects, and we cannot use the funds for anything else.
Our district is in the beginning stages of getting the pulse of our community on if they would support our district for an operational referendum moving forward. After completing the focus group sessions, we will survey stakeholders to gain broader community input.