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No.

A Milwaukee Public Schools referendum question on the April 2 ballot doesn’t say the funding would come from property taxes. It asks:

“Shall the Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee and Washington Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $140 million for the 2024-2025 school year; by an additional $51 million for the 2025-2026 school year; by an additional $47 million for the 2026-2027 school year; and by an additional $14 million (for a total of $252 million) for the 2027-2028 school year and thereafter, for the recurring purposes of sustaining educational programming, including offering career and technical education programs, attracting and retaining certified educators, and further improving art, music, physical education and language programs?”

Other 2024 Wisconsin school referendum questions also don’t mention property taxes.

The Milwaukee schools website says it would raise property taxes $216 for each $100,000 of home value.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Milwaukee Public Schools: Ballot Question and Voter Information

South Milwaukee School District: Referendum 2024 – Safe, Supported, and Successful – Vote April 2

Green Lake School District: Referendum Information 2024

Merrill School District: Wording for Ballot Referendum April 2024.pdf

Milwaukee Public Schools: Frequently Asked Questions

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Tom Kertscher joined as a Wisconsin Watch fact checker in January 2023 and contributes to our collaboration with the The Gigafact Project to fight misinformation online. Kertscher is a former longtime newspaper reporter, including at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who has worked as a self-employed journalist since 2019. His gigs include contributing writer for Milwaukee Magazine and sports freelancer for The Associated Press.