The West Allis-West Milwaukee school board consists of nine members elected to three-year terms on a staggered basis. All members are elected at large, and elections are held every year.[3]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file nomination papers with the school district clerk by January 2, 2018. If incumbents whose terms were up for re-election did not file to run in the race and did not file written notification that they would not be running, the candidate filing deadline could have been extended until January 5, 2018. The terms of candidates elected in the race started on April 23, 2018.[4]
To vote in Wisconsin, one must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of the state for at least 10 days prior to the election. A voter must be at least 18 years old.[5][6][7] One can register to vote by mail, online, or in person. For voters registering to vote in this 2018 school board election by mail, the application had to be postmarked by March 14, 2018. The online voter registration deadline was March 30, 2018, and the in-person deadline was April 3, 2018.
General election
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Wisconsin elections, 2018
Key deadlines
Endorsements
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Past elections
- See also: Past elections in the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District
To see results from past elections in the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, click here.
What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
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Candidate survey
Election trends
- See also: School board elections, 2018
Two of the three incumbents filed to run for re-election to the West Allis-West Milwaukee School Board in 2018, joined by two challengers. Since 2014, there have not been any unopposed seats in a West Allis-West Milwaukee school board election. This statistic is lower than the average school board in Wisconsin and the United States, which saw 29.73 percent and 34.05 percent unopposed seats in 2016, respectively.
Issues in the district
Residents attempt to leave district after property tax increase
New Berlin property owners who live within the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District boundaries petitioned the New Berlin School District to allow them to change districts and therefore property tax recipients. The New Berlin Board of Education unanimously approved the move on February 26, 2018, but the West Allis-West Milwaukee Board of Education did not bring up the issue during its board meeting on the same day. The move could not go forward without the approval of both districts. Administrators for the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District stated that they chose not to discuss the move out of fear that it would set a precedent for other New Berlin property owners to leave the district and would also have financial ramifications.[8]
The petition came after New Berlin residents received an 18.4 percent property tax increase in 2018. A lower 12.5 percent tax increase went into effect for residents in other parts of the district. The nearly 6 percent difference was due to equalized value estimates that showed New Berlin property value had grown more quickly than West Allis property value, according to the New Berlin finance director. While properties in New Berlin made up 7 percent of the school district's value in 2016, it grew to be 7.3 percent of the district's property value in 2017.[9]
Because the district decreased spending after a $12.5 million 2017 referendum did not pass and received additional revenue from the sale of a vacant school building and the settlement of a lawsuit, West Allis-West Milwaukee School District received $14 million more than it spent in 2017. This led to the loss of approximately $6 million in state aid after the district finances were applied to a state school aid formula. The district said it was necessary to increase tax revenue in order to make up the difference.[10]
As of a report by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on March 1, 2018, New Berlin residents were planning to use a small territory petition in which three school board members appointed by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction rule on their appeal to change districts. If the petition were unsuccessful, the residents could attempt a referendum to remove all New Berlin households from the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District. Over 50 percent of voters in both districts would need to approve of the referendum for it to pass.[8]
About the district
- See also: West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, Wisconsin
The West Allis-West Milwaukee School District is located in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.
The West Allis-West Milwaukee School District is located in Milwaukee County in southeastern Wisconsin. The county seat is Milwaukee. Milwaukee County was home to 957,735 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[11] The district served 9,545 students during the 2015-2016 school year.[12]
Demographics
Higher education achievement
Milwaukee County outperformed Wisconsin as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 29.1 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 27.8 percent of state residents.[11]
Median household income
From 2011 to 2015, the median household income for Milwaukee County was $43,873. During that same time period, the median household income for Wisconsin was $53,357, and it was $53,889 for the entire United States.[11]
Poverty rate
The poverty rate in Milwaukee County was 20.3 percent from 2011 to 2015. During that same time period, the poverty rate for the entire state was 12.1 percent, and it was 13.5 percent for the country as a whole.[11]
| Racial Demographics, 2015[11]
|
| Race
|
Milwaukee County (%)
|
Wisconsin (%)
|
| White |
65.1 |
87.6
|
| Black or African American |
27.1 |
6.6
|
| American Indian and Alaska Native |
1.0 |
1.1
|
| Asian |
4.2 |
2.8
|
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander |
0.0 |
0.1
|
| Two or more races |
2.7 |
1.8
|
| Hispanic or Latino |
14.5 |
6.6
|
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms West Allis-West Milwaukee School District Wisconsin election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- ↑ West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, "2018 School Board Election," accessed January 20, 2018
- ↑ Milwaukee County Elections, "Spring Election Unofficial Results," accessed April 3, 2018
- ↑ West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, "Board Elections," accessed January 20, 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Wisconsin Association of School Boards, "Guide for Candidates," accessed November 26, 2017
- ↑ DMV.org, "Voter Registration in Wisconsin," accessed January 22, 2015
- ↑ State statutes stipulate that an individual must have resided in Wisconsin for at least 28 days prior to the election in order to register to vote in that election. However, the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin ruled that "the increase of the durational residency requirement from 10 days to 28 days is unconstitutional." Consequently, the earlier 10-day requirement took effect once again. An appeal of the district court's decision was pending as of September 20, 2016.
- ↑ Wisconsin Statutes, "Section 6.10," accessed November 7, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Journal Sentinel, "A $530 tax increase? One-year, 18.4% spike inspires plea to flee school district," March 1, 2018
- ↑ Fox 6 Now, "Homeowners in West Allis-West Milwaukee School District complain about uneven property tax hike," December 28, 2017
- ↑ Journal Sentinel, "School taxes are up nearly 12 percent in West Allis-West Milwaukee. Here's why." December 28, 2017
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 United States Census Bureau, "Milwaukee County, Wisconsin," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Local Education Agency (School District) Universe Survey Data," accessed January 29, 2018
