MADISON, WI – New reporting this morning from the Wisconsin Independent highlights Senate Democrats commitment to lowering property taxes across Wisconsin while ensuring our children have access to the best possible education, and how the failures of Wisconsin Republicans have led to this seemingly endless wave of referendum votes. Read the full story below. 

Wisconsin Independent: “Wisconsin Democrats want to make frequent school referendums ‘a thing of the past’”

“Three Democratic lawmakers announced their intention to make school funding less reliant on frequent trips to the ballot box as 72 school districts around Wisconsin are set to hold funding referendums in April. 

Early in-person voting begins March 24 for the April 7 election, and dozens of school districts are asking voters to increase property taxes to help pay for operating expenses and infrastructure projects. 

State Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, Sen. Brad Pfaff and Assembly Rep. Jenna Jacobson, who is running for a seat in the state Senate, spoke outside the state Capitol on March 23 about the need to get more funding for public schools and ease the burden on taxpayers. 

Hesselbein said inaction at the state level, where Republicans have controlled the Legislature for 15 years, has put voters in an impossible position of choosing between a higher tax bill or underfunded public schools. 

“It’s clear that Republicans in the Senate are comfortable watching your property taxes rise each year despite the burden and rising costs they’re already placing on hard-working families,” she said. “This is absolutely ridiculous. They should be embarrassed, and you should all be angry.”

A Marquette University Law School poll of registered voters last month found 60% of respondents said reducing property taxes was more important than increasing spending on public schools. That’s the highest percentage a Marquette poll has found on this question in 26 instances since 2013.

The February poll also found that 57% of respondents said they would vote against a local school referendum that increased taxes.

While the referendums move forward, a group made up of several Wisconsin school districts, students and parents is suing the state Legislature over what it calls a broken and unconstitutional school funding system. The Wisconsin Independent previously reported on the lawsuit, which shows less public school revenue is coming from the state compared to a few decades prior. Hesselbein said at the press conference she would let the courts handle that matter. 

In the latest state budget, Democratic lawmakers secured an increase in state funding for special education, though the increase was not as high as they’d wanted. While the funding provided some relief, the state Department of Public Instruction in November said it was not enough to cover actual school district spending on special education. When asked what solutions Democrats have, Hesselbein said they hope to approve more funding if the Senate comes back into session this year, though it’s unclear whether that will happen. 

“We want to make sure that that money is there,” Hesselbein said.

The lawmakers said that they hope to win control of the Senate and the Assembly in the November election and hold the governorship in order to pass a budget that adequately funds schools. Currently, Republican majorities in the state Senate and Assembly have been able to block some of the Democrats’ school funding efforts.

“We’re going to get to work funding our public schools. We will ensure that school districts have the resources they need to hire more teachers, decrease class sizes and keep all the doors open so that the next generation of Wisconsin leaders have access to the highest-quality education that they all deserve,” Hesselbein said.

In a January press release announcing his 2026 agenda, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers criticized state Republican lawmakers for failing to approve funding he requested in the state budget. His agenda calls to lower property taxes and increase school funding.

Pfaff, who represents parts of western Wisconsin, said he’s disappointed and frustrated that some of the communities he represents have to make another difficult, yet avoidable, choice. He mentioned the school district in De Soto, which has had three failed referendums in recent years. 

“We can do better. We need to do better,” Pfaff said. “I will also tell you that if you elect a Democratic majority in the Legislature in the fall of 2026, I pledge to you: We will get to work on day one to ensure that these rampant referendums are a thing of the past.” 

Two Republican members of the state Senate recently joined other GOP lawmakers to say they’re not running for reelection in the fall. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu and Sen. Van Wanggaard announced their retirements last week. Last month, Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos announced his decision not to seek reelection from the Assembly floor, saying he had a mild heart attack in November. 

A February letter from LeMahieu and Vos to Evers says the school funding system needs reform, not “guaranteed funding to prop up a broken system.” 

Jacobson is running for Senate District 17, a seat currently held by GOP Sen. Howard Marklein, who is co-chair of the Legislature’s powerful Joint Finance Committee.”