Southern Wisconsin Times

Beloit voters will once again have the opportunity to support the School District of Beloit's referendum, scheduled for April 1.

Superintendent Dr. Willie E. Garrison II recently appeared on WCLO to discuss why he believes the referendum has a chance this year after previous attempts in April 2023 and April 2024 were unsuccessful. "This is definitely a request that the school board, I believe, had put together a wonderful question to address some of the critical needs in our school district," Garrison said. He emphasized staff compensation and retention as primary priorities, noting, "You know the struggles that school district has with this and the School District of Beloit is not exempt from that conversation."

Garrison added that for the past two years, they have been unable to attract teachers or compensate them comparably to other districts. "This referendum will not give us all the bells and whistles, but it will definitely help us sustain (momentum)," he said.

According to the district website, voters can decide whether the School District of Beloit can exceed a state-imposed revenue limit by $40.25 million over three years. Six out of seven school board members voted to place it on the ballot, aiming to support district initiatives such as staff retention, academic improvements, behavior support, and financial and operational stability. State funding limitations have created monetary challenges for the district; over the past decade, there have been six years without any per-student funding increase, impacting essential endeavors and operations.

If approved, projected funding would be $9.17 million for the 2025–2026 school year, $14.12 million in 2026–2027, and $16.95 million in 2027–2028. The district has committed to providing full transparency regarding how these funds are spent.