$12.5 Million West Allis-West Milwaukee School District Referendum Does Not Pass

Voters rejected the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District Referendum during the Spring election.

Voters said no to the $12.5 Million spending referendum.

The WAWM School District was asking taxpayers to shell out millions of dollars a year, to clean up a financial mess created by a past administration.

"The district had a period of time before I arrived of some significant overspending," says current Superintendent Marty Lexmond. "We're trying to rebuild those reserves."

The plan, a $12.5M Operational Referendum, would have required homeowners to provide $2.5M for 5 years. 

The district said the additional funding was necessary to continue current programs. Since taxpayers voted no, District officials are now planning a number of potential cuts including:

• Eliminating elementary music lessons
• Eliminating all intermediate extra-curricular sports (cross country, basketball, wrestling, volleyball, poms, and track) and selected high school sports (golf, tennis, gymnastics, swimming/diving.)
• Reducing 50% of school library and classoom technology support positions.
• Increasing class sizes at the secondary level
• Reducing staff compensation. 

Stay with CBS 58 News for more information on this developing story.