12:46 PM: Half of school referendum questions approved
Voters approved just more than half of the school referendum questions on the ballot yesterday despite rough economic conditions.
A total of 45 referendums in 32 school districts went before voters Tuesday. Of those, 23 passed for a total of $95.1 million in additional school spending.
Twenty-two referendums failed, totaling $165.6 million.
During the February primary, voters rejected every school referendum put before them, and observers generally chalked it up to a hesitancy among voters to pay more taxes as they struggle to make ends meet.
The Middleton-Cross Plains School District posed $71 million in three referendums to voters, the largest in the state for this election. All three were defeated with at least 52 percent of the vote.
West Bend, which had the second-largest referendum total on the ballot, saw voters split on two referendums.
The larger of the two referendums, covering $41.5 million, was rejected by 53 percent of voters. But on a $27.4 million ballot issue, 5,971 voted in favor compared to 5,897 voting against, according to unofficial returns.
Among other large referendums:
*Oshkosh passed a $6.5 million measure while rejecting two others totaling $17.5 million.
*Both referendums in the Medford Area School District failed, totaling $13.4 million.
*$12 million in two referendums passed in the Maple Dale-Indian Hill School District.
*Voters in Reedsville also passed two referendums, totaling just over $11 million.
See all school referendum results: http://www2.dpi.state.wi.us/sfsref/ref_Home.aspx
-- By Andy Szal