Superior School District is facing a funding deficit due to depleting enrollment and low per-pupil funding from the state. Insufficient funds could cause low-registration classes, and low-participated activities to be permanently cut from high school student selection in future, despite referendum aid.  

The district has already had to face the consequences of the low budget. Along with over 60 staff positions terminated district wide in April 2024, Lake Superior Elementary was permanently shut down that same year.

The Wisconsin state government funds all school districts a set amount of money per-student enrolled. For the 25’-26’ school year, the districts’ per-pupil funding is $11,244. This means that the district gets $11,244 for every student enrolled at the district, to spend across the school year. This money pays for all expenses which include: maintenance, paying teachers/staff, renovations and extra athletic/activity expenses. 

This amount has stayed the same since the 1994-1995 school year due to a law called “The Wisconsin Act 16.” This law created a revenue limit on how much the district could raise through a combination of school general aid and property taxes. This has made the yearly per-pupil funding outdated, as it doesn’t account for inflated spending costs. 

Another problem the district has faced in recent years is a declining enrollment rate within the elementary schools. 

“Our current graduating class has around 350 students. The average number of students enrolled per-graduating-class currently at our elementary schools ranges from about 200-250,” Director of Business Services David See said. 

As the district gets paid per student, low enrollment rates cause already low funds to deplete even further. 

Last November, the city of Superior voted in favor of a 5-year operational referendum. 

An operational referendum is money gathered from property taxes which help the district pay for operational uses like; keeping the lights on, keeping heat in the hallways, and paying for plumbing and maintenance. In order to get money from this referendum, it adds a slight increase to property taxes throughout the community.

Although this referendum has helped to aid the low-funding crisis, and has postponed the consequences, it is only a short term solution.

The district will start looking toward budget cuts to keep up with the lessening budget. Future cuts can involve low-participation activities, and classes with few student registration. 

Calculus BC- the most advanced math class currently offered at the high school, has 5 students enrolled for this school year. Due to low registration, this class would likely be cut near the referendums’ end. 

“If Calc BC were cut, it would be a big disadvantage for all those students who take it,” Calculus teacher Waylon Wittkopf said. “I have even had students who went to Madison and other bigger schools where they feel like even taking Calc BC, they still feel like they are behind other students who have access to even more.”