Watertown Unified School District

Spring Operational Referendum - Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Welcome to Our Informational Page

WUSD Seeks Community Support for April 1, 2025 Operational Referendum

The Watertown Unified School District is embarking on an ambitious Strategic Plan that is guiding our efforts to ensure our students continue to have access to an exceptional educational experience. To execute this strategic plan and fulfill our vision to inspire learners with student-centered education strengthened by community involvement, the district must address its financial and operational challenges.

Like most Wisconsin school districts, the WUSD is facing a budget crunch stemming from an outdated state education funding system, a lack of state aid to public schools in recent years, and rising costs due to inflation. In fact, if revenues had kept pace with inflation since 2009, school districts like ours would receive about $3,200 more per student for the 2024-25 school year alone.

In recent years, the district has made budget reductions and maximized every dollar taxpayers are investing in their local schools. However, we believe the time has come to find a more sustainable solution to our financial needs.

Proposed Solution

On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, our community will vote on a recurring operational referendum question for the Watertown Unified School District. If the referendum is approved, the district will be able to exceed its state-imposed revenue limit by $7 million per year, starting in the 2025-26 school year.

We would use these funds to:

• Strengthen School Safety

Sustain and implement additional critical safety measures to keep students and staff secure

• Protect High-Quality Programs and Services

Maintain the level of excellence our families and community expect for students across all grade levels.

• Expand Opportunities for Students

Enhance Career and Technical Education, agriculture, and performing arts programs, Advanced Placement opportunities, after-school activities, and career pathways to prepare students for success.

• Retain and Attract Top Talent

Invest in recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers and staff to support student learning.

• Property Tax Impact

An approved referendum would have an estimated annual school district property tax impact of 70 cents for every $1,000 of assessed fair market property value. The impact on a home with an assessed fair market value of $250,000, for example, would be about $175 per year.

Please check this page regularly for more referendum news and updates.