You will have an extra item on your ballot this November if you live in the Sturgeon Bay School District. Earlier this month, the Sturgeon Bay School Board approved resolutions that will ask voters to support an operating referendum that would allow the district to exceed its revenue limits by $3.75 million in each of the next five years. The goal of the referendum is to address higher costs for transportation, utilities, insurance and special education services; declining federal funding and state general school aid; and the need to pay teachers more competitively. Surveys showed the option received marginally less support than a $3.5 million-per-year option that would have addressed only operational needs, but much more support than a $4 million-per-year option that would have included additional maintenance needs. Superintendent Dan Tjernagel says the referendum, paired with ongoing cuts, will put the district in a better place financially.

Before you cast your ballot for the Nov. 3 election, the district is planning informational sessions not just about the referendum, but about school funding as a whole. The Sturgeon Bay School District will host Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials Executive Director Mike Barry to discuss the connection between tax increment districts and school funding Sept. 2 at 6:30 p.m.