La Crosse school district asking voters to extend operating referendum

Twice over the last decade, voters have approved an operating referendum, allowing the La Crosse School District to exceed its revenue limit by $4.1 million dollars per year.

That question is up for a vote Tuesday, as well, for another five-year term.

Superintendent Randy Nelson says the money is important, and failure would mean cuts in one specific area.

“For the most part, those dollars are spent at keeping our class sizes at 18 or less,” Nelson said. “That’s always our goal.

“Probably 10 percent of the dollars have been going into building maintenance. And then the third part is technology, continued technology and the infrastructure to support the technology.”

As for the cuts, “80-85 percent of all the dollars are being used on salary and benefits,” Nelson said. So the most efficient way to make up $4 million or so is going to be through the salaries and benefits and cuts.”

If the referendum fails, Nelson says a person’s property taxes would decrease $96 per $100,000 of property value.

Nelson says the current referendum ends next summer.