Whitnall School District

Dear Whitnall School District Community Members,

As we approach the November 5 election, our district continues to focus on the facilities referendum, which is designed to enhance the educational environment for all Whitnall students. The referendum is a crucial step in our commitment to fostering better learning experiences through significant improvements to our school buildings. Today, we want to share updated financial news regarding the projected tax impact of the referendum.

School finance in Wisconsin is complex. Final figures for property values and state aid are not available until early or mid-October. As a result, districts must create preliminary budgets and estimate tax impacts based on projections. At Whitnall, we use very conservative practices and projections to ensure our financial stability.

Based on those initial conservative projections, we communicated that the school tax mill rate increase would not exceed $0.35 ($35 per $100,000 of equalized home value) from last year's mill rate if the referendum were to pass. Now that we have the final numbers, we are able to report that if the referendum passes, the actual mill rate impact will be significantly lower than our conservative initial projection. The new mill rate would increase $0.03 ($3 per $100,000 of equalized home value) above last year's rate.

We are proud of Whitnall's strong financial position and our careful financial planning. We wanted to share this update with you directly so you have the most accurate information before you vote.

For more details on the referendum, please visit our website at https://www.whitnall.com/district/referendum2024.cfm.