At its August 17 meeting, the Viroqua Area School Board approved a non-recurring operational referendum question to appear on the ballot Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
If at least 50 percent of voters approve the measure, the district will have the authority to exceed its state-mandated revenue limit by $1.8 million annually over four years, beginning in 2027-28 and ending in 2030-31. This is an additional $500,000 over the current $1.3M operational referendum.
The total school-based tax levy is expected to remain steady throughout the proposed referendum’s duration. The mill rate is projected to fall from $7.33 per $1,000 of fair market value in 2027-28 to $7 by 2030-31.
“Operational referendum funds have been an important part of our district’s budget for many years, and we appreciate the support voters have generously provided to VAS,” said District Administrator Dr. Jeremy Hill. “A renewed referendum will provide budget surety and allow VAS to continue meeting the expectations our community has for its schools and ensuring students have the resources they need to be successful.”
Like all public school districts in Wisconsin, VAS operates under a state-imposed revenue limit established in 1993. The system restricts the amount of funding districts receive through a combination of state aid and local property taxes. It has not kept pace with inflation or rising educational costs over the years.
Operational referendums are common in Wisconsin, with more than half of districts receiving voter approval for similar measures in the past decade. VAS voters approved the district’s first operational referendum in 2004, and it has been renewed four times since then.
The district’s existing referendum is scheduled to sunset at the end of the 2026-27 school year. Without a replacement, the board and administration will need to explore further budget reductions that could cut staffing levels, academic programming, and extracurricular activities, while also delaying maintenance and equipment purchases.
District officials have taken steps to reduce spending, including $1.2 million for the 2026-27 budget. Most of the savings stem from staffing reductions, as the district opted not to fill various positions after retirements and resignations. Making these cuts through attrition allowed for continuity of programming and balancing class sizes where appropriate. The budget is expected to run a surplus of about $122,000 in 2026-27 after a $264,000 projected deficit a year earlier.
With an approved operational referendum, VAS is projected to also run a budget surplus in the first two years of the new referendum. The VAS School Board would consider spending the additional funds on targeted improvements, such as roof repairs at the district’s bus garage, resurfacing the track and tennis courts, and examining boilers for replacement. The district will prioritize those decisions later with stakeholder input and feedback.
Budget deficits are expected in the final two years of the referendum, including nearly $36,000 in 2030-31. The Board expects to set money aside during the first two years to alleviate that deficit.
“Our plans are to consider using the additional funds to improve existing facilities, maintain academic programming, and complete larger projects that we cannot address alone through our normal operations. This approach would prevent the need to borrow funds or ask voters to consider a capital referendum for these critical maintenance projects. Our preference would be to pay for repairs over two years instead of twenty,” Hill said.
It's time again for the annual Student Council School Spirit Apparel Fundraiser. Grab something new to sport your Blackhawk spirit this year! Find all the great things here: https://bsnteamsports.com/shop/sdCYbQRn4n
New this year, HS class shirts can be ordered online. Check them out here: https://bsnteamsports.com/shop/S99otkt7s9 Both online stores will be open through August 31st. All apparel will be delivered by Homecoming. Contact Michelle Halvorson with questions, halmic@viroquablackhawk.org Thanks for your support! Go Blackhawks!
Viroqua Area Schools is excited to introduce Bound, our new activities and scheduling platform, beginning July 1, 2026. Bound will be the central hub for school activities, making it easy for students, parents, coaches, staff, and community members to access information, register for activities, purchase tickets, receive team communications, and more. Activities registration for the 2026-27 school year opens July 1, 2026. For more info: https://bit.ly/VASBoundInfo Contact Dan Brown, Activities Director, with questions. dbrown@viroquablackhawk.org.
Free Summer Weekly Meal Pickup for Kids! Sign up by July 2 at Noon. Viroqua Area School District is offering free breakfast and lunch for all children 18 and under who live in the district. No income requirements apply. Private school and homeschool students are also eligible. https://forms.gle/t89bPSXtPTcwte1D8 This signup is only for the weekly meal pick up. Lunch will be served at the HS/MS Cafeteria from July 6-August 14 for anyone NOT participating in the weekly meal pickup.
Due to possible storms this afternoon, the Viroqua High School graduation ceremony will be held in the HS gym at 1:30 pm. You may also view the ceremony at the Viroqua Live Youtube link
No School Mon, May 25th - Happy Memorial Day!
Early Release - 4/17/26 - VAS will be releasing early at 1:00 (Elementary) and 1:15 (MS/HS) in order to get students and staff home prior to the pending weather later this afternoon. This includes the Early Learning Center. After school activities are also canceled for this evening and will be rescheduled at a later date.
The VAS School Board Election is today, Tuesday, April 7th. Polls are open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Election results will be posted at this link as they come in. https://bit.ly/426VASElectionResults
On Tuesday, April 7th, Viroqua Area Schools will conduct two Lockdown Drills in cooperation with Viroqua PD and Vernon County Emergency Management teams.
There has been some confusion about the difference between SECURE and LOCKDOWN. Our buildings are secure every day because we have supervised and locked entrances to each school. Our side doors are always locked and require a badge swipe to open. When we go into a SECURE state, it is typically because outside agencies have asked us to stay in the building when there is a threat somewhere in the community NOT related to what is happening in our schools. Occasionally we may also go into SECURE if a student or staff member is having an emergency in one of our hallways and we are making space for medical response. When we are in SECURE, teaching and learning continue as normal because there is not an active threat to our schools. We were in SECURE last month when the Viroqua PD asked us to do that instead of our planned Evacuation Drill based on an external threat in the community. There typically is no need for active police presence during a SECURE. In fact, there was not police presence in our building March 12th as they were responding to the emergency elsewhere in Viroqua.
We go into LOCKDOWN when a threat is identified inside our building and we need to take active steps to protect students and staff. In those instances, classroom doors are locked, shades are drawn, and anyone inside moves to an area that is not visible from the doorways or windows. Staff members do not answer doors when someone knocks on them and they are released by a school official or emergency responder. LOCKDOWN will be the drill that we practice on Tuesday, April 7th. The Elementary School will practice at 9:00 am and the Middle/High School will practice at 12:30 pm. We anticipate this drill taking longer than a typical fire drill because we will check each room individually. Our estimate is 30 minutes.
There is always concern among our student body and parents when we hold these types of drills and many wonder if this is "really a drill" or if something is "actually happening." We are committed to sharing information about real situations that happen in our buildings whenever we can and still protect the privacy of students or staff involved. Families were also emailed a poster and a video explaining our processes. Thank you for being our partners to keep everyone at Viroqua Area Schools safe and informed.
The Viroqua High School Student Council is partnering with the American Red Cross to host an upcoming blood drive, and we need your help!
Please join our lifesaving mission and schedule an appointment today! https://bit.ly/4lViksJ
Wednesday, April 8, 2026 - 9:30 AM - 02:00 PM
Viroqua High School Gym
Students who are 16 years and older can donate with parent permission. Pick up a parent permission form in the VHS Office.
The need for blood is constant. Every 2 to 3 seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Most of us will need it at some point in our lives, and volunteer donors make it all possible. Your donation can make a real difference!
Drill Details:
Dates: Thursday, March 12 (MS/HS) and Monday, March 16 (Elementary)
Time: 1:00 pm
Expected Duration: 15-30 minutes
Rally Points: Immanuel Lutheran Church and St. Mary’s Catholic Church
