By Star Journal staff

The School District of Rhinelander has operated under referendums to exceed the revenue limit since the 2010-11 school year. The current four-year $4.25 million referendum for operational purposes expires the end of the 2022-23 school year. Administrators are preparing now for the next one.

In a statement to the school board regarding the referendum, Robert Thom, director of business services, noted what has been accomplished under the previous referenda.

“The 13 years of increased revenue limit authority have allowed the district to invest in facilities and maintain current programming and services as well as add new initiatives,” he stated.

The district has not had to cut classes, programs, sports or staff during this time, Thom added. Other investments made by the district include the addition of elementary school classrooms, remodeled RHS commons, gym and library.

The school board approved a resolution directing the administration to plan and prepare for a fall 2022 referendum to exceed the revenue limit by $4 million each of four years for operational purposes, beginning in the 2023-24 school year.

The first referendum to pass in the school district was $1.5 million for three years in 2010. Three years later, a $4 million, three-year referendum was passed. The 2016-17 referendum was $5 million for three years. That was followed by a $4.25 million, four-year referendum, and now a proposed $4 million, four-year referendum beginning in 2023.