Sept. 23, 2026
by ANASTASIA PENCHI
DE SOTO, Wis. – Some of the budget cuts that were made after the De Soto Area School District’s April 2024 failed referendum, the first of three recent failed referendums, remain in place more than two years later.
Eliminating the Supervised After-School Study program and the late bus that transported students after sports practices and academic meetings saves the district an estimated $52,000 per year, but many people miss the program that had been there longer than Superintendent Tim Fergot, who started teaching in De Soto, 27 years ago.
“It was a very effective program when it was in place,” Fergot said. “Parents still talk about it.”
Fergot is currently meeting with parents and other community members in hopes of getting a $3.6 million referendum approved this November. “Tuesdays with Tim,” a chance to have coffee, donuts and referendum discussions with Fergot are now being scheduled throughout the district.
Past Cuts
Fergot, who was Middle & High School assistant principal in 2024, said he worked with retiring Superintendent/Principal Linzi Gronning and incoming Interim Superintendent Mike Richie to identify $717,224 in cuts after the April 2024 referendum failed.
Those cuts were listed in a July 16, 2024 letter sent to district residents, and have been referenced at recent school board meetings.
Fergot said some of the 2024 cuts were temporary, like reducing the Technology budget by $25,000 and the Curriculum budget by $48,000 that year. Other reductions, like cutting 10 percent from each school’s Classroom Supply budget for a savings of $25,450 annually, remain in place today.
Fergot said a couple of the listed cuts in the letter didn’t actually happen. The school board later voted to not freeze staff salaries (estimated savings of $200,000), and some planned professional development reductions ($12,000) had to be paid back to the state.
Other cuts made at that time included:
- Reducing teacher overloads, which is when teachers take on instruction above and beyond contracted requirements because there are not enough hours to justify hiring another teacher, but classes still need to be covered. This saved $18,000, and is ongoing.
- Combining the second and third grade classes at Prairie View Elementary into a multi-age classroom saved $50,000, but was only done for one year because “it wasn’t in the best interest of students at the time,” Fergot said.
- Eliminating student accident insurance (a secondary insurance offered by the district) was an easy decision as it cost the district more than the claims that were being turned in. It saves $10,331 annually.
- Cutting two staff members saved $80,000. Fergot said overall the district is down 10 staff members since the 2013-14 school year.
“When you end up cutting large amounts, it ends up being staff,” he added.
November Referendum
In August, the De Soto Area School Board unanimously passed a resolution to ask voters to exceed revenue limits by $500,000 in 2026-27; $1.4 million in 2027-28; and $1.7 million for 2028-29 for non-recurring purposes of “maintaining facilities, instructional programs, student services and updating security and network technology systems.”
If approved, the three-year non-recurring operational referendum on Nov. 3 would cover the district’s budget deficit and eliminate all but 30 percent of its fund balance, keeping enough to prevent short-term borrowing. It also includes money to replace the district’s phone system to a cloud-based system and update its security system and cameras at the Middle & High School.
De Soto is among 82 percent of Wisconsin’s 421 school districts with declining enrollment. Some of the state’s school funding formulas are based on enrollment, so fewer students equals less money. During the last decade, 301 Wisconsin districts (71 percent) have had operational referendums: 267 (63 percent) were approved; 154 (37 percent) were denied.
Fergot said the state’s inability to fund public schools can be seen throughout the area as many other small, rural districts are planning referendums in November including Viroqua, Westby and Cashton.
“Of all the things the state takes care of, that needs to be on top of the list,” Fergot said. “It’s not just our school.”
This is De Soto’s fourth try at a referendum in the past three years. It’s previous ones failed: $4.8 million in April 2024; $5.5 million in November 2024; and $4.2 million in April 2025.
“Overall, the district has been extremely conservative,” Fergot added. “I don’t care what board was in here.”
Anastasia Penchi is veteran writer who spent 13 years as a newspaper journalist and now works as a freelance writer. You may have seen her work in Coulee Region Women’s magazine, the Great Rivers Road blog and Explore La Crosse. Her passions are helping people in poverty and trying to save traditional journalism. She resides in Genoa and is a board member with Couleecap Inc. She can be reached at callmeloislane@hotmail.com.
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