Update: Wauwatosa voters passed the referendum to change how they elect school board members.
Wauwatosa voters have important decisions to make on April 1. Four of the board of education's seats are up for election, and eight people have filed to run.
But also at issue is how Wauwatosa will elect its board members in the future.
This year, a ballot referendum will ask voters to decide whether the board of education's structure should move away from its numbered district system.
Right now, school board candidates run for a specific one of seven numbered, open seats. Unlike other school boards, none of the numbered districts are specific to any geographic region in Wauwatosa.
The referendum asks voters to approve an open election system where all candidates run for all open seats and the top voter-getters are declared the winners.
Here's what to know about the referendum and the Wauwatosa candidates on the ballot in 2025:
What is the Wauwatosa schools referendum 2025?
The referendum asks voters to approve a purely at-large election system where all qualified candidates run for all open seats.
For example, if the referendum passed and three seats were up for election, the candidates who receive the three highest number of votes would win the seats. No candidate would need to declare themselves running for a specific "district."
This would be a change from the current system, where candidates run for specific seats designated by a number. The districts do not represent specific areas of the city, so all school board members represent the entire city.
What is the official ballot language for Wauwatosa schools referendum?
The ballot language is as follows: "The Wauwatosa School Board is a body of seven officials who serve staggered three-year terms. School board candidates run for one of seven numbered, open seats, none of which are specific to any geographical region in Wauwatosa. Pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 120.02(4), a petition conforming to the requirements of Wis. Stat. § 8.40 has been filed with the Wauwatosa School District clerk seeking to change the current system of numbered school board seats to a purely at-large system. In such a system, rather than being able to select a candidate for each numbered seat, voters would select from the entire pool of candidates and the open seats would be filled by the candidates receiving the most votes. For example, if three school board seats were up for election, those seats would be filled by the candidates receiving the three highest vote totals.
Should the current system of numbered Wauwatosa School Board seats be changed to a purely at-large system? A “yes” vote is to change to an at-large system. A “no” vote is to retain the current numbered system."
Would school board races be partisan if the Wauwatosa referendum passes?
No. At-large elections would remain nonpartisan.
School board candidates are not required to report affiliation with any political party.
Would this be rank-choice voting for Wauwatosa school board seats?
No, but a voter could cast their ballot for more than one candidate.
A voter would able to select one candidate for every open seat that is on the ballot.
For example, if there were two open seats on the ballot, a voter would pick two candidates.
Didn't Wauwatosa just approve a referendum last year?
Yes. In 2024, Wauwatosa voters approved one referendum to raise of $60 million over 20 years to address deferred maintenance of school district buildings.
Also last year, voters approved a $64.4 million referendum to fund salaries and academic programming in the district over four years. That funding begins in the fall and runs through the 2028-29 school year.
Does the 2025 Wauwatosa schools referendum raise taxes?
No. A "yes" vote on the referendum will not raise tax rates.
Who is running for Wauwatosa school board in 2025?
Eight candidates have qualified to run for four open board seats this year. Board members serve three-year terms.
Here's who is running for each numbered seat:
District 1: Sarah Burzynski and Shannon Malnory-Silbernagel
District 2: Christopher Bauer and Troy Woodard
District 3: Heidi Bach and Kaitlin Lemke
District 4: Christopher Merker and Jason Wautier
Candidates submitted responses to questionnaires written by Support Our Schools Wauwatosa. You can read their answers here.
Katherine Kokal is the education reporter at 89.7 WUWM - Milwaukee's NPR. Have a question about schools or an education story idea? You can reach her at kokal@uwm.edu
