OCONTO COUNTY – During the April 7 election, Gillett School District, Lena Public School District and Oconto Unified School District all failed to pass operational referendums.
These referendums would have added an additional $16 million to Gillett, $6 million to Lena and $6 million to Oconto Unified across five years.
According to unofficial results, 51% of voters opposed the Lena referendum and 54% of voters opposed the Oconto Unified referendum. The Gillett referendum saw a higher opposition, with 65% of voters siding against the increase.
These failed propositions represented the minority at the state level.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 73 school districts across Wisconsin had 75 referendums on the ballot. Voters passed 46 referendums for a 61% passage rate.
In Oconto County, school officials planned to use these funds for numerous concerns across districts, including maintaining student-to-staff ratios, upgrading school safety measures and technology needs and to maintain current services. All three districts referenced state funding not keeping pace with inflation as a reason for seeking a referendum.
The Oconto Unified School District shared a press release that thanked everyone for taking the time to vote in response to the turnout, saying, “That matters. We are also incredibly proud of our staff and community members who worked to share information and engage others throughout this process.”
The district said they respect the decision that was made, but stated that they must be honest about what will happen next.
“Without this funding, we will need to make reductions,” the release said.
“That starts with the 2026 - 2027 budget, with more significant impacts to staffing and programming in 2027 - 2028. And without changes to state funding or a future referendum, these reductions would continue year after year, not just as a one-time adjustment. This creates real uncertainty for our staff and our schools.”
The district concluded their statement by mentioning a possible opportunity to vote again in November that could determine if some of the planned reductions can be limited or avoided, before thanking everyone for their continued support.
Additional information about school referendums that passed and failed can be found online at https://sfs.dpi.wi.gov/wisfpr.
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