As Tuesday progressed, voters in St. Croix County flocked to the polls to make important decisions in their school districts from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

St. Croix County's website has unofficial election results that show both River Falls School Referendum questions receiving more "yes" votes than "no" at the time this article was published. 

Question Number 1 (Operational Referendum) currently leads in yes votes by a tally of 988-744 and Question Number 2 (Bond Facilities Referendum) has 878 yes votes to 853 no answers. For more information on the referendum, go to the "River Falls School Referendum" section of this article. 

And the county also has unofficial election results for Somerset School Board: 

Lorri Baillargeon 490

Steve Degelau 453

Dani Erickson 452

Ruth Harleen 387

Kristin Siskow 374

Corey Cole 292

Jessica Bjorkman 171

Write-In Totals 17

Somerset has three open seats on its School Board. For more information there, go to the "Somerset School Board Elections" part of this article.

Note: Menomonie is in Dunn County, but there are voters in the towns of Cady and Springfield (both in St. Croix County) who can vote on its referendum.

The Spring Primary/Referendum has the following on the ballot Tuesday:

• Somerset School District-  School Board Primary  
• River Falls School District-  Referendum
• Menomonie School District - Referendum 

And here is a sample of what a resident's ballot would look like (click on hyperlinks):

• River Falls School District Referendum Sample Ballot
• Somerset School Board Primary Sample Ballot
• Menomonie School District Referendum Sample Ballot

As reported on the St. Croix County Government website, here is some more polling place information for Tuesday. Is your district not voting on Tuesday but you want to know where to vote in the future? Go to myvote.wi.gov/en-us/Find-My-Polling-Place for more information. 

River Falls School Referendum

In a letter to the Star-Observer, River Falls Superintendent Jamie Benson said of the referendum: 

"The district conducted a referendum survey of our community and aligned these two questions to the majority response of that survey. Only the priorities that received substantial community support are included in this paired-down set of questions."

Here are the two questions verbatim:

"Question Number 1: Shall the School District of River Falls, Pierce and St. Croix Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $1,000,000 for the 2024-2025 school year; by an additional $1,000,000 (for a total of $2,000,000) for the 2025-2026 school year; and by an additional $1,000,000 (for a total of $3,000,000 and to remain at that amount) for the 2026-2027 school year and thereafter, for recurring purposes consisting of operational expenses, including to maintain curriculum programs and services, to retain staff, and to provide for safety, security, transportation, utilities and technology?

Question Number 2: Shall the School District of River Falls,  Pierce and St. Croix Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $28,000,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of a school building and facility improvement project consisting of: district-wide safety, security, building systems, grounds and infrastructure improvements; construction of a bus and vehicle maintenance shop and related facilities; construction of an addition for a multi-purpose indoor facility and renovations at the High School; and acquisition of furnishings, fixtures and equipment?"

Benson added in his letter that "both questions are now in the hands of the community to decide their fate. Much of the debate can be summarized as a dichotomy of property tax increases vs an investment in the vitality of our community, the future of our schools and our commitment to the children we serve."

Somerset School Board Elections

The Somerset Board of Education has seven candidates running for three open seats. The Primary Election will narrow down the race for the Spring Election on April 2.

Somerset Schools attached a Google drive on its website where each of the seven school board candidate participated in a Q&A.

Somerset voters cannot choose more than three of the following candidates: 

• Kristin Siskow
• Ruth Harleen
• Corey Cole
• Jessica Bjorkman
• Steve Degelau
• Dani Erickson
• Lorri Baillargeon

Menomonie School Referendum

As reported by the Menomonie Minute, the Menomonie School District’s enrollment declined from 3,472 in the 2019-2020 school year to 3,365 for the 2022-2023 school year for approximately a $1,000,000 loss. And just because students left, doesn't mean they can cut back on spending as many of the school's costs are fixed.

Menomonie School District's Referendum is as follows: 

"Shall the School District of the Menomonie Area, Dunn and St. Croix Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $4,200,000 beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, for recurring purposes consisting of operational expenses?"

Some of the contests may be decided as early as tonight, but there is a chance that voting results take until tomorrow or later. For more updates, check back with the Star-Observer.