Key Takeaways:
- Residents approved two levy scenarios instead of one. The November 3 referendum picks which comes into play.
- The district paid off its 2009 referendum debt in June and is debt free. That’s why school taxes would fall about 8.4% if the referendum fails, and rise about 21% if it passes.
- The gap between a yes and a no vote is roughly $176 per $100,000 of home value for next year — about $1,000 a year on a median Whitefish Bay home, $1,200 on the average one.
At Wednesday night’s annual school district meeting the residents in attendance did something a little unusual: they approved two tax levy scenarios instead of one. What happens on the November 3 referendum will decide which takes effect.
If the $90 million referendum fails, the total school tax levy would be $20.5 million. That is about $1.9 million less than this year, a drop of 8.4%.
If it passes, the levy would be $27.2 million. The additional funds would then start servicing the new debt issuance. That total is about $4.8 million more than this year, or 21% higher.
Why taxes go down if the referendum fails
The district made its last payment on the 2009 referendum in June and is now debt free. That payment had been costing about $2 million a year on the tax roll, and it’s gone. So without new borrowing, the school portion of your bill drops.
If the referendum passes, the new debt payments fill in some of that space and then some.
It’s worth noting what the district managed inside a relatively flat operating budget. This year’s spending plan adds five class sections at the elementary schools to bring down class sizes, at a cost of $550,000, and gives all staff a 2.63% raise (plus an extra $500 for teachers). Much of that new spending was covered by an increase to state aid to the district rather than being picked up by local property owners.
What this looks like on your bill
The school portion of the tax bill this past year was $611 for every $100,000 your home is worth.
If the referendum passes, the district estimates that goes to $736 for every $100,000, about $125 more per $100,000.
If it fails, the rate drops to somewhere around $560 per $100,000 by my back of the napkin math. The district didn’t publish that figure Wednesday, so consider it my estimate ($611 less an 8.4% decrease). That would mean the difference between a yes and a no vote would come to a net of $176 per $100,000, or approximately $1,200/year for the mean home in the village and $1,000/year for the median home.
The below chart shows the school district’s estimated gross property tax amount that would show up on the 2026 December bill under the two scenarios:
| Under the Current 6.11 mill rate | If Referendum Passes at 7.36 mill rate | If Referendum Fails at 5.60 mill rate | |
| Median Home ($575k) | $3513 | $4232 | $3220 |
| Mean Home ($686k) | $4191 | $5048 | $3841 |
A few things to keep in mind. This is a WFB Buzz estimate and most certainly won’t be the actual number on the bills come December. There are a number of moving parts that aren’t known at the moment. As an example, the district’s assumptions state that property values are expected to rise about 5.5% this year, which spreads the levy over more value and would nudge the rate a bit lower than the estimates above. Also, these figures don’t account for the state’s School Levy Tax Credit, which knocks hundreds of dollars off the school line on most bills — though it applies either way, so it doesn’t change the gap between a yes and a no vote.
What happens next
The school board can still technically adjust the levy until November 1. Additionally, state aid figures aren’t confirmed until mid-October.
Voters will then decide which tax levy will come into play for the December 2026 property tax bill.
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