Seymour schools face budget cuts after vote fails
Seymour Schools face potential budget cuts after a $15 million operational referendum failed Nov. 3. The district's unofficial results showed 2,354 votes in favor of the referendum, about 46% of voters, and 2,812 opposed, about 54%. The referendum would have replaced one from 2024, which allowed the district to increase its taxing authority by $5 million a year for three years. The funding would have gone to maintaining programs, buildings and services for students, as well as keeping down class sizes and paying staff a competitive wage, according to district communications. District administrator Kellie Bohn attributed the referendum failure to rising living costs. "It's a tough fiscal time ... all over the state," Bohn said. "I'm confident that we have a lot of support for our schools in our communities, even if it didn't translate into 'yes' votes." "The challenge of all the inflationary expenses just makes people hesitant on approving a referendum, even though our mill rate was going to drop and our levy was going to stabilize," she added. According to data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction , Seymour's tax rate was $7.97 per $1,000 of equalized property value in the 2025-26 school year, down from
