District overview
Montello School District
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
How is Montello School District paid for?
Wisconsin caps how much a district can raise through state aid and property tax (the revenue limit). Districts can ask voters to go above the limit. Montello's board has said pandemic ESSER money is gone and changes are needed by 2027-28, and it has put a $2,000,000-a-year, four-year question on the ballot.
Referendum
On August 10, 2026 the board approved a November 3, 2026 question to exceed the revenue limit by $2,000,000 a year for four years for non-recurring purposes.
Fund balance
In December 2025 the board set a 20% target fund balance; the state suggests 15 to 18%.
Contingency
The October 12, 2026 agenda lists budget reductions and operational changes if the referendum fails.
Cash flow
The October 27 levy meeting lists a short-term loan of up to $2 million at 4.89%.
None of this shows the district is poorly run. The referendum result, final levy and enrollment figures are not in the collected files.
Where the district stands
Major projects
Operating referendum
on the November 3, 2026 ballotThe board first approved the resolutions on January 26, 2026 for an April ballot and again on August 10 for November. The result is not in the collected files.
- First referendum resolutions
- Spring referendum election
- November referendum resolutions
- Election
Funding
Property tax above the revenue limit, $2,000,000 per year for four years
K-5 science curriculum adoption
on April 13, 2026 agendaSeven years of materials, cost lowered from $91,000 and payable in two installments.
- Cost review
- Adoption on agenda
Funding
Not stated
Recent news
View the news feed →Resources
Practical guides to school phone policies, district budgets, and administrator hiring.
Explore resources →Built from 30 board agendas and approved minutes (November 2025 to November 2026) in the district's public Google Drive folders, plus the district's board page.
Get alerts for Montello School District
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.
Copy the RSS link into your feed reader to get new published alerts.