District overview
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
Columbus is a Wisconsin public school district run by a seven-member elected Board of Education that sets goals (called Results) and limits (Operational Expectations) and checks them through monitoring reports. Wisconsin caps how much districts can raise, and the cap depends on enrollment averaged over three years. Local voters have approved extra money by referendum, including a $1.75 million four-year operating question in April 2025.
The 2026-27 levy is $10,531,197, up from $9,797,675 the year before (about 7.5%); the prior year rose 16.6%.
The 2026-27 general fund budget is $17.87 million, with local sources of $8.1 million and state sources of $8.2 million (down from $8.9 million).
1,103 students in September 2025, projected at 1,046 for 2026-27. Because the revenue limit uses a three-year average, declines show up in funding with a lag.
The general fund balance was about $5.8 million (roughly 32% of spending) at the end of 2025-26; district policy is to keep at least 25%.
A falling headcount and rising levy do not by themselves show the district is overspending: the district says its budget was balanced and fund balance stayed above its 25% policy.
After a search for land, the board moved to spend leftover capital referendum money on projects within the scope of the original question, starting with summer projects from the capital improvement plan.
Voter-approved capital referendum
Amount remaining is not stated in the collected records; a $275,000 transfer to Fund 46 was approved July 27, 2026.
The board discussed long-range planning for Columbus Middle School and district buildings and grounds in September and October, then formed a Community Facilities Advisory Committee on October 26.
Not yet identified
No cost estimate is in the collected records.
Wisconsin school board elections are held the first Tuesday in April. Three seats have terms ending in 2027 (Julie Hajewski, Karen Smith, Adam Pulver). The clerk's official notice and candidate list are not yet published; last year's notice was posted in November with a January filing deadline.
Official source · verified Nov 9, 2026
Two seats (incumbents Corey Ohlson-Rappe and John Pearson) were on the April 7, 2026 ballot; the board canvassed results on April 9 and both now serve terms ending in 2029.
Official source · verified Nov 9, 2026
$1,750,000
The board unanimously placed a four-year non-recurring operating referendum for $1,750,000 on the April 1, 2025 ballot, covering 2025-26 through 2028-29. The district's 2026 annual meeting presentation says its budget includes revenue from the operational referendum.
Official source · verified Nov 9, 2026
Practical guides to school phone policies, district budgets, and administrator hiring.
Explore resources →Based on 97 documents from the district's BoardDocs portal (agendas, minutes and attachments from November 2025 to November 2026) and district web pages for the annual meeting, budget and election notices.
We read every agenda, packet, recording, and set of minutes, and write up the decisions that affect families — each one linked to the document it came from.
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