Like many other district across the state, the four Wisconsin school districts in the region are seeking operational millage increases in the general election Tuesday.

The School District of Niagara, the Florence County School District, the Beecher-Dunbar-Pembine School District and the Goodman-Armstrong Creek School District all have measures on the ballot.

Wisconsin school operational budgets are determined by state aid and property taxes. Under state law, districts can’t increase funding to operate without a millage increase approved by voters.

Wisconsin has seen an increasing number of operational millage requests for school districts due to a number of factors, including less state aid and declining enrollment.

Last year the School District of Florence County received $146,250 in state aid, compared with $2.8 million in 2005, according to information provided by the school.

Florence is asking for its sixth operational millage increase — a process that began 19 years ago when the district nearly dissolved. They want $2.5 million for the 2025-26 school year, $2.8 million for the 2026-27 school year, $3.1 million for the 2027-28 school year and $3.4 million for the 2028-29 school.

During the 2023-2024 school year, the school’s share of taxes on property with a market value of $100,000 was $786, or a mill rate of 7.86, or $7.86 per $1,000 of taxable value. This would increase those taxes by $156 over the four years.

Goodman-Armstrong Creek has a $950,000, three-year referendum on the ballot.

G-AC officials had approached other districts about consolidation but they were not interested, according to reports. The board also considered dissolving but noted that residents would still have to pay school taxes to whichever new district Goodman-Armstrong Creek students would attend.

The district in recent years has used federal and state COVID funding, revenue from the school forest and money from the fund balance to try covering operation costs.

School taxes for the 2023-2024 school year were $1,130 on a house valued at $100,000. They are estimated to be $927 for 2024-25 and $1,034 for 2025-26.

The School District of Niagara is seeking a second operational millage increase, after approving a $1.75 million referendum for four years in 2020.

This year they are asking voters to pass a $3 million operational referendum that would be levied over the next four years.

The amount would be $600,000 for 2024-25, $700,000 for 2025-26, $800,000 for 2026-27 and $900,000 for 2027-28. It would replace a referendum that expired in 2023.

The tax would increase 5.61%. For example, if a resident’s taxes were $1,000, the tax bill would be $51.60 higher.

The Beecher-Dunbar-Pembine School District asks voters to approve a five-year operational millage increase of $800,000 per year, beginning with the 2025-26 school year and ending with the 2029-30 school year.

The district is attempting to address the estimated gap between projected revenue and expenses over the next five years, while stabilizing the reserve funds.

The current $575,000 per year referendum ends on June 30, 2025. Even with the referendum, the district had a budget shortfall of $250,000.

The tax increase would be 52 cents per $1,000 of equalized property value. On a house valued at $100,000, the increase would be $52 per year.

All of the districts would face making cuts in staff and programming if the millages don’t pass, according to officials.