By Kim McDarison
Whitewater Unified School District voters Tuesday approved an operational referendum allowing the district to increase its taxpayer-supported funding above the state-imposed revenue cap by $4.4 million over each of the next four years.
As of Wednesday, with eight Walworth County precincts included in the race reporting, according to the county’s election site, the measure was approved by voters from across the district by a vote of 3,832 to 2,985.
A voter breakdown by county is as follows: voters living within the district in Walworth County, including most of the city of Whitewater, cast 2,968 in favor of the measure and 2,262 votes against it.
In Rock County, voters within the district, including those living in the towns of Johnstown and parts of Lima, voted against the referendum 264 to 240.
Voters in Jefferson County, including those living in wards 11-13 in the city of Whitewater, and in the towns of Cold Springs and parts of Koshkonong supported the funding increase by a vote of 624 to 459.
During a presentation given in October by members of the school district about the referendum to members of the Whitewater Common Council, district superintendent Caroline Pate Hefty noted that the referendum was required to continue to deliver services to the district’s diverse student population.
Describing student population, she said, among students in the district, some 50% are within a range that qualifies them for free or reduced lunch programs. Another 13% of students are English language learners, defined as students who speak a language other than English at home, and 19% of the district’s students are enrolled in special education.
Further, she said, students with unique needs require additional funding and resources to ensure high-quality services. Growth in the district’s economically disadvantaged population and students with disabilities has been steady over time. Aided by slides, she demonstrated that between 2016 and 2021, the district’s economically disadvantaged population grew from 41 to 50% and the district’s students with disabilities population over the same period grew from 17 to 19%. Both trajectories place the district above the state average, according to the slides.
School District Director of Business Services Ben Prather outlined several program, such as “Whitewater Builds,” K-12 Drama and Theater, and initiatives to extend Project Lead the Way programming to the elementary-school-level as among services an approved referendum would allow the district to continue to deliver.
Pate-Hefty pointed to continued support through metal health services, citing them as “critical.”
An earlier story about the referendum and the services it will help to support is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/whitewater-council-receives-referendum-presentation-from-school-district/.
This story has been updated.
Whitewater Unified School District Superintendent Caroline Pate-Hefty, from left, and Whitewater Unified School District Board of Education member Larry Kachel address the Whitewater Common Council in October. The two, along with a third district representative, Ben Prather, not pictured, gave a presentation about the history, tax impacts and programming needs associated with the district’s proposed operational referendum. As of early Wednesday morning, with one precinct in Walworth County remaining unreported, the referendum was headed toward approval. File photo/Kim McDarison.
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