Voters in the Southern Door School District will have an extra item on their ballots this fall. On Monday, the Southern Door School Board passed the resolutions required to ask voters to exceed the revenue limit by $2.055 million per year for three years.

“After engaging with our community in recent months and careful consideration, the Board of Education has taken the next step in allowing our voters to consider a referendum measure in November,” said Superintendent Dr. Kevin Krutzik. “This proposal is about investing in our schools in ways that will strengthen educational opportunities for our students while helping position Southern Door for continued success in the years ahead.”

This marks the second time the district’s voters have weighed in on an operational referendum, after rejecting a measure in April that would have allowed the district to exceed the state revenue limit by $3.15 million annually for three years.

More than a dozen positions were cut, including one elementary school teacher, two middle school teachers and five high school teachers. A pay freeze was instituted for all employees, co-curricular assignment pay and travel were cut, and computer and student device replacements were delayed. Three sports programs were also cut but were later reinstated with support from the Southern Door Athletic Booster Club.

By passing the new referendum, the district hopes it can provide market-rate pay raises for staff, fund essential facility repairs and maintenance, and restore select teaching positions.

“Balancing the district’s budget required our board to make many difficult decisions, and we know those decisions have had an impact on our staff and our students,” said Board President Janel Veeser. “We are hopeful that a new operational referendum will provide the financial means to restore some of the staff positions and programming that were lost because we want to give our students the opportunities, support, and resources they need to succeed.”

District officials say that even if the referendum passes, the mill rate will drop from its current $6.99 per $1,000 of equalized value to $6.35 for the upcoming school year, $6.07 for the 2027-28 school year and $5.61 for the 2028-29 school year.

The referendum will appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.