Referendum vote, school board election April 1

Tuesday, April 1 promises to be a pivotal day for the future of public education in Rhinelander.
School District of Rhinelander voters will find the names of eight candidates for the district’s board of education on their spring election ballot (the top four vote-getters will be elected) as well as an operational referendum question district officials have framed as essential to “sustaining excellence” in local public schools.
The referendum question is: “Shall the School District of Rhinelander, Oneida, Lincoln and Langlade Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $3,000,000 per year for the 2025-2026 school year and the 2026-2027 school year and by $7,000,000 per year for the 2027-2028 school year and 2028-2029 school year, for non-recurring purposes consisting of ongoing operational expenses?”
In a March 20 interview with the Star Journal, district superintendent Eric Burke stated that the language of the referendum question is final and cannot be changed. His statement came just before it was announced that President Donald Trump had signed an executive order directing his Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, to take “all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the states.”
Burke said the district would await further information and direction related to the executive order, but the question to be put to the voters on April 1 will not be affected.

“It definitely creates challenges,” he said of the order, which was not yet official at the time of the interview. “I guess I’m optimistic in thinking that we’re going to find a way to make sure that our students and our families are fully supported.”
“I don’t think (the order) changes anything with what we’re doing here (with the April 1 referendum),” he continued. “We’re asking the voters to support a referendum that will put us in a place, despite what the state is doing, to be able to continue what we believe is excellence in our school district.”
“This is definitely a need and not a want,” he added.
In a pair of community informational sessions, school officials explained that districts across the state are continuing to go to referendum because state officials are allocating less funding to public schools, particularly those in rural areas.
As a result, the only option districts have available to them is to go to referendum.
During a March 12 public informational session on the referendum, Burke noted that 131 school districts held referenda in 2024 and 91 districts have referendum questions on the ballot April 1.
“The state hasn’t been doing its part,” he said.
According to materials distributed during the informational sessions, in 2005 the state provided 43 percent of school funding, leaving local taxpayers to provide the remaining 57 percent. Today, property taxpayers are being asked to cover 76 percent of the cost to fund public schools while the state contributes only 24 percent.
This is despite a $4.3 billion surplus sitting in state coffers. The surplus, along with a “rainy day fund” with approximately $1.9 billion, remains unspent because state elected officials have been unable to agree on how to use it.
Complicating matters further, school districts have been hit with rising costs since students returned to in-person learning following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Prices have changed dramatically and the needs of students have changed dramatically (since the pandemic),” the district’s business director, Bob Thom, said during the March 12 session.
In particular, special education costs are up 17 percent (approximately $2 million), according to written materials distributed at the meetings.
“The biggest portion of where we’re at right now with our deficit is due to our special education costs,” Burke said, noting that back in the ‘70s the state pledged to cover 67 percent of special education costs but has never reached that mark. At present, the state is covering only 30.5 percent of the district’s special education costs.
“One student (in special education) may cost over $100,000,” he said, noting that unlike private voucher schools public schools are required to provide special education services to every student who meets the criteria.
Another speaker, director of curriculum Ryan Ourada, explained that Rhinelander students have been posting impressive achievements, including the highest ACT composite score in five years, despite a myriad of post-pandemic challenges.
“To keep these things moving in this direction we’ll have to find ways to fund the programs, the people and the initiatives that are working for us,” he said.
If the referendum is approved, the projected tax rate for the 2025-26 school year would be $7.92 per $1,000 of home fair market value which would represent an increase of 52 cents in the first year. For the owner of a home with an equalized value of $200,000, this would amount to an increase of $104.

School board race
In addition to the referendum question, voters will be asked to choose four individuals to serve on the school board. There are a total of eight candidates for the four available seats. Incumbents Judy Conlin, Ron Lueneburg and Mary Peterson are seeking another term while Doug Artus, who was appointed in June 2024 following the resignation of former board member David Holperin, is seeking the public’s OK to continue on the board. Four challengers, Kurt Helke, Bill Freudenberg, Robert Shelly and Jacquline Zivko, are hoping to unseat one of the incumbents. For more information on the candidates, see “School board candidates share their views” in this edition.
Additional information on the referendum question is available on the school district website https://www.rhinelander.k12.wi.us/district/referendum.cfm.