Is the Kenosha Unified School District educating our children effectively & will a $115 million tax increase help? We don’t think so.
What’s the Purpose of Public Education?
Ask a voter “What is the mission of the Kenosha Unified School District?” and you will hear answers like “to educate children” or “to teach kids to read and do math.” KUSD claims that without a $115 million tax increase it will be “forced to cut programs” and then it says that AP classes—which represent the highest level of academic achievement—will be on the chopping block because so few students participate. Doesn’t that contradict what most people describe as the mission of public education?
KUSD Must Stop Mission Creep
Mission Creep is the gradual expansion of an institution’s programs and services which causes it to fail in its original function. KUSD claims it needs $115 more from taxpayers to protect “vital programs.” But has KUSD really cut wasteful spending? Ended failed programs or those that have nothing to do with educating children?
In 2024 KUSD Spent/Authorized:
Restaurants/Catering: $141,087.82 (approx. $11,757.00/month)
Hotels: $132,397.13 (approx. $11,033.00/month)
Clinical Therapists: $1,218,000.00 (to medically treat students & their parents)
The Restaurants/Catering and Hotel expenditures are available in the PDF files on the “Regular School Board Meeting Agendas” page of KUSD’s website. The Licensed Clinical Therapists proposal is on pages 41-52 of the June 25, 2024 School Board Meeting Agenda and the payment authorization is on page 12 of the July 23, 2024 School Board Meeting Agenda.
Please look at all of these expenditures because these restaurant/catering and hotel expenditures don’t even scratch the surface the “authorized” expenditures. KUSD lists these expenditures under “Individual Cardholders.” Which KUSD employees have KUSD credit cards? What are the purchasing limits and what is the oversight? We taxpayers have no idea. Some of the expenses made by “Individual Cardholders” were paid to Party City, Best Buy, SixFlags, Istacart, “Airlines,” Ruffolos’s Hair Studio, PayPal, Amazon, Target, Stein’s Garden and Gifts, Dollar Tree, Tenuta’s, Michael’s, Spotify, Piggly Wiggly, Sam’s Club, Costco, Home Depot, Blain’s Farm and Fleet, Festival Foods, eBay, Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Pick N Save, Utopia Nails & Spa, Meijer, Cinemark Theaters, Walgreens, and Harbor Freight.
Everything in the previous paragraph maybe legitimate expenses, but they also may not be. Taxpayers have no idea. These represent a handful of authorized credit card purchases, but checks cut by KUSD are not listed in the documentation available to the taxpayers. We know that KUSD paid the elite law firm Quarles & Brady to write the wording for its $115 million tax increase referendum, but we can’t see the individual checks on the School Board Meeting Agenda expenditures. Where is the transparency?
Is more than a quarter of a million dollars in catered food and hotel rooms educating our children? Maybe some students and their parents need psychological medical treatment, but spending more than $1.2 million providing it is well beyond KUSD’s mission to educate children. We have an entire Division of Behavioral Health Services as a part of Kenosha County government. KUSD must stop duplicating services that KUSD taxpayers are already paying for.
Senior Care & Food Programs
Did you know that the KUSD runs the Kenosha Senior Center and senior food distribution in Kenosha County? Good programs, but both should be administered—and paid for—by Kenosha County, not KUSD taxpayers only.
The School Breakfast Program began in 1966. It was justified to American taxpayers as a way to help disadvantaged children perform better academically in public schools. Has it worked? No. There is no demonstrable evidence that these taxpayer-funded food programs help children perform better academically in public school. Public schools across the nation—including KUSD—have doubled down on this failure and expanded via mission creep to include School Lunch & after school ”snack“ programs. Now, KUSD provides breakfast, lunch, and after school “snacks.” Has this improved test scores? No, and not for 60 years.
Everyone wants to help kids perform better in public schools, but this food program has not done what it claimed it would do for Americans. We must not double down on failure. KUSD should not become a glorified feeding station when that is not helping it to fulfill its mission to educate our children. Has the state providing meals to children helped make parents more responsible or has it made them more disengaged with their own children’s fundamental needs? Have these programs done nothing but make disadvantaged Americans absolutely dependent on the government? How can we justify spending so much money on taxpayer-funded breakfasts, lunches, and after school “snacks” when our children’s test scores are the lowest in the nation?
Vote NO $115 Million Tax Increase
Last month, the National Assessment of Educational Progress released test scores showing that the scores for all Wisconsin public school students are lower now than they have been in decades. KUSD must cut waste, stop creep, and return to its core mission.
Here’s the Referendum as it appears on the February 18th Ballot:
Shall the Kenosha School District No. 1, Kenosha County, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes by $23,000,000 per year beginning with the 2025-2026 school year and ending with the 2029-2030 school year, for non-recurring purposes and consisting of operational expenses and debt service for safety and security improvements?
Vote “NO” on or before February 18th or pay $115 million more for the next 5 Years.
Fight, fight, fight & vote in every election!
When & Where To Vote
In-Person Absentee Voting (early voting) begins on February 4th and runs through February 14th, depending upon your municipality. In the city, vote at the Kenosha City Clerk’s office, 625 52nd Street, Kenosha WI. See the Kenosha City Clerk’s official Spring Election 2025 Press Release for additional information. Outside the City, check your municipality’s web site for information on when and where you can early vote.
Municipal Election Information:
If you’re not sure whether you’re registered to vote, check the MyVote Wisconsin website. You can also use this link to update your registration—in particular, if you’ve moved or changed your name.
If you need to register to vote, bring with you a picture ID, and documentation of where you live. Your Wisconsin driver’s license or state-issued ID card is enough, if it shows your current name and address. If your license/ID does not show your current name or address, bring a document that does show your current name and address – for example, a tax bill, a utility bill, or a paycheck or pay stub. Visit Bring It to the Ballot for all the information you need.
Plan Ahead!
A few minutes spent planning when and where to vote could save you hours of aggravation.
If at all possible, do yourself a favor and vote early—but regardless, vote! The future of our nation depends on it.
Make Your Plan to Vote Now!
Online registration deadline: Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Register by mail deadline: Must be postmarked by Thursday, February 13, 2025
In person registration deadline: Tuesday, February 18, 2025