(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Kenosha Unified School District invites the community to a series of Town Hall Meetings focused on the district’s financial challenges and the proposed operational referendum.
All community members are encouraged to attend and participate. These meetings will provide an opportunity to learn more about the district’s financial needs and the purpose behind the operational referendum appearing on the ballot on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
* Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at 5:30 p.m.
Bradford High School
* Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, at 5:30 p.m.
Reuther High School
* Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at 10:30 a.m.
Educational Support Center
* Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at 5:30 p.m.
Lance Middle School
The majority democrat school board and Superintendent Jeff Weiss (D) are asking for more than a $100,000,000 increase in taxes over the next five years.
41 Responses
“It Takes A Village” In this case the “Village” is made up of the property tax payers of Kenosha who need to step up and sacrifice a few dollars to increase the pay and benefits of the teachers and staff of KUSD.
It doesn’t take a Village to Raise Your Kids, It Takes You to Take Responsibility for Your Kids.
It’s hundreds of dollars a year on already growing taxes. And I don’t have any kids in that wack ass district that can’t stop grooming kids.
HELL NO! You have to earn your pay.
I own property in Kenosha yet I’m not able to vote against these ridiculous tax increases because we aren’t actual residents of the city. Just remember renters also bear the burden of tax referendums because of property taxes being raised. Our city of Kenosha property taxes went up over twice as much as our home town taxes did. Kenosha needs to get a handle on their spending just like the citizens half to do so they can survive. But unfortunately government bureaucracy thinks that they can just force their lack of budget restraints upon the citizens by making up some big boohoo stories about how bad the budget short falls are. Guess what so are the people’s budgets they are being squeezed by a out of control government spending.
You own property that gets taxed yet you can’t vote on those taxes ?!?!
I understand you are only allowed to vote once in one location but, that is for electing people to office. Voting for your representatives either national, state or local.
But for a financial referendum, as a property owner, you should be able to vote on the taxes against your property.
Has to be a way to allow that.
Just a thought
I hope the renters are smart enough to know the right way to vote.
No we shouldn’t. Maybe if the administration did their jobs and cut waste mostly needed in administration tax payer wouldn’t have to be responsible for their feckless and reckless spending.
KUSD has been exposed. They have major issues with their administration and staff and it’s apparent that they don’t live in a real world. Not one cent more to this evil, taxpayer funded organization until they start behaving like businesses in the private sector. Enough with the “It’s For The Kids” crap… that’s all a Smoke Screen for building and growing a taxpayer funded empire.
This week I will be paying my 2024 property tax bill…and it is 23% higher than my 2023 tax bill.
In one fell-swoop, the largest year-over-year increase ever.
And the KUSD portion increased by 20%.
I sure haven’t seen evidence of the sort of outstanding performance in educating our young people which might justify the increased funding.
And they’re coming to the taxpayers, already, in Feb 2025 for a hundred-million MORE??
Puh-LEEZ!
Cut some of the exorbitant KUSD overhead costs; trim-back on some of the top-heavy administrative bulk.
And, can’t someone in State Gov’t do something about the scheduling of these ubiquitous “General Funding” for school districts referenda?
They’re conveniently always scheduled for the election with the chronically lowest voter turnout…automatically amplifies the clout of the KUSD employees’ votes.
It’s a disgrace!
They do not want to cut staff and close schools due to declining enrollment. The administrators are the fat cats who are rewarded overpaid, underworked jobs that reward cronies.
Vote no. Get everyone you know to vote NO.
Send a message to KUSD: Kenosha isnt your never ending piggy bank of funding.
Off topic. Do a fundraiser at the boathouse or coffee pot??
Must need the money to cover lawsuits.
Even after closing half the schools in Kenosha. You think they would need less!
Not when the unions gobble up so much
Wasn’t that their argument for closing schools? So they WOULDN’T have to raise taxes?
Somewhere in the many stories here about KUSD is a number of the student enrollment.
Divide the 20 million $$ per year by that number and come up with a cost or if you must, investment per student.
Sure some will go to the buildings. Some towards books or computers not to mention teacher salaries but all the money can be attributed as spent per student. And that number is on top of existing spending.
So let’s compare total cost per student.
It’s common knowledge that private and religious schools spend less money per student than public school.
Let’s see how much.
BTW. Don’t listen to any talk on how the survey says this is well supported by parents and taxpayers. The surveys are rigged to always have the questions come out for the spending no matter how you might have answered.
Some county schools even just notify existing current students to get notice of the survey thus limiting the non child in school taxpayer.
Less than a year ago, I read that KUSD stated their needs were for 23k students and they were funded for 19k students; but I researched and couldn’t find the actual number of students enrolled, which was weird, because they determine their enrollment number a few weeks into the fall term, on a Friday or Thursday, I forget which. I had always found that number in public records reports online in the past. AFTER this, KUSD put their plan together for how many schools they were going to close, etc, etc. This was supposed to close the gap. IDK if they actually have a budget; 150 school districts in WI do not. The actual quality of education may or may not be seen as a separate subject. The facts are that probably about half of district students meet proficiency standards, and that is after those standards have been lowered at least once. Many of these students are trapped in KUSD, not only because of finances or availability of private school seats, but because, even several years ago, before KUSD lowered their standards, they were about a year behind at least one of the local parochial schools that I am quite familiar with. Finally, let us not forget that the school board recently voted to allow biological males to compete with females in Girls’ Athletics; the Superintendent, Dr. Weiss, said that if they didn’t allow that, “someone” would sue them (clearly someone whose interest is NOT the best interest of any minor student.) KUSD wants the “average” homeowner of a $250k house to hand over an additional $313/year for the next 5 or 6 years, in order to support their chronic and intentional failure.
Indian Trail just put up a “beautiful “ $350,000 scoreboard a couple years ago, and removed a working scoreboard…
How much does KUSD spend at each individual high school annually for the “English language learners” staff and support staff. I reckon a lot of French Canadians are who KUSD is catering to with that program. It’s in the tens of millions for these programs that are a flop. These “migrants” can’t read or write English or Spanish when they’re given their unearned diplomas.
Yep, no waste going on in this district….
Good ‘ol “use it or lose it” budget.
they too took down a perfectly good score board.
I asked and was told it was the end of a Pepsi sponsorship.
Older technology? Sure.
But a new score board $$$ doesn’t make the basketball team any better.
So, the new sponsor should have paid for the new scoreboard; otherwise, I guess they could cover up the Pepsi logo. IDK if that happened, though.
For all I know Pepsi repossessed it.
The principal wanted a new scoreboard while his son played football
So Indian trail high school is paying for that score board
A really good way to spend money when teachers are underpaid
I’d like to see the titles and salaries of all of the specialists and administrators that are employed by KUSD. Last school board meeting Kristine questioned the efficiency of some of these “specialists”.
http://www.govsalaries.com
Less students, less schools and they want lots more money? NO!!
How can anyone support KUSD with countless of lawsuits, and teachers being under investigation. Kenosha needs to vote no on this corrupt ass school. All this money is probably to cover lawsuits and pay off the teachers fired!
No more money to KUSD. Start at the top and get rid of the useless assistant to assistant to assistant. School board are a bunch of crazies minus 2 of them.
What’s going on with Tony Garcia?
They want more money so they can hire more pedophiles. No thanks.
We must vote no!!! We need to also vote for the 2 new conservative people that are running for school board. Andreas Mamalakis has 6 children and is extremely bright. Valerie Kretchmer has a special needs child also very bright. Also vote for Britney Kinser for WI education Superintendent. If we get out and vote we can win.
And hasn’t been since 1994.
Current enrollment 18,522 down 348 from last year. The current senior class is by far the largest class in Kenosha Unified.
https://www.kusd.edu/blog/news/2024-kusd-third-friday-count-totals/#:~:text=The%20initial%20count%20shows%20an,Third%20Friday%20count%20of%2018%2C870.
Absolutely NOT. These wasteful practices have to end. They need to get rid of the dead weight starting at the top down. Also some of these ridiculous policies and useless administrative positions.
Not one penny more!
Vote NO! KUSD referendum on Feb. 18, 2025 – Don’t ask to the taxpayers for more money, start reducing the workforce.
Less students more employees
students
2013/14
22,602
2023/24
18711
Teachers
2013/14
1638
2023/24
1674
Administrative/supervisory/tech
2013/14
134
2023/24
166
The kids are getting dumber and it’s the parents fault. Kick rocks!
That’s right! It’s the parent’s fault the kids are dumber because they sent them through the PUBLIC SCHOOL SYTEM!
It seems like they don’t want many people to attend these town hall meetings by scheduling them at 5:30 pm & 10 am. If you have a job, it would be difficult to attend at those times. They act like they care about what taxpayers think but, it will just result in them saying people didn’t bother to come to the meeting.
Please vote no to this! The schools already get enough of our tax money and its never enough. I did a calculation and the increase will cost me almost $800 more next year and then less the years after but I highly doubt the % will go down after the first year, If this gets approved, they will be able to do whatever they want. I’m supposed to shell out more money every year and the school performances are worse…..no way!
Please vote no On Feb 18th
They need to fire 40% of the worforce and quit spending money on dumb ass crap.
Not a chance. They need to live within their means just like the rest of us. They closed all those schools..what about all the teachers and staff from those schools? Still on the payroll? My taxes already drastically jumped this year. Not voting for them to go up again.