Dear Wauzeka-Steuben Staff, Families and Community Members,
On the April 7, 2026 spring election ballot, the Wauzeka-Steuben School District is seeking voter permission to renew its operating referendum for two years. Our existing, four-year operational referendum will expire in June 2026.
Enrollment projections show a continued, slow decline from 215 total students this school year to 194 in 2030-2031, even though we added five more students through open enrollment this school year. Without a major change in the state’s funding formula (which is heavily based on enrollment), our district continues to critically need operational referendum funding to maintain our existing educational programs and pay the costs of operation and maintenance.The ballot question seeks $1,150,000 for the 2026-2027 school year and $1,200,000 for the 2027-2028 school year.
We will be mailing information and hosting two community information sessions: Wednesday, March 4 and Monday, March 9, at 6:30 P.M. in the School Library, 301 East Main St. We also will attend town and village meetings to share details and be available to chat at the Wauzeka BP.
Working with conservative assumptions including 2% annual growth in district property values, the tax rate would be $10.59 for $1,000 of equalized property value in the first year and $10.69 in the second year. That is projected to be up from this year’s $9.92 per $1,000 of equalized value; however, Wauzeka-Steuben’s actual tax rates ended up being lower than projected in six of the seven past school years.
Below are the actual school tax rates from 2018-19 through 2025-26 — and the projected 2026-27 and 2027-28 rates:
