OSHKOSH, Wis. — Voters in Oshkosh will be asked to approve a nearly $200 million referendum question on the April 1 ballot.

It’s the state’s largest school referendum on the ballot for the spring election.

If approved, the school district plans to put the money toward building a new middle school, renovating and expanding several elementary schools, creating a pre-K center and more.

What You Need To Know

  • Oshkosh Superintendent Brian Davis oversees the district’s 22 schools and more than 9,000 students

  • Oshkosh's $197.8 million capital referendum will appear on the April 1, 2025 ballot. This referendum focuses on the district’s facilities consolidation plan, prioritizing student safety and improving learning spaces

  • Davis said this referendum will have a zero dollar impact to the debt levy

  • Davis said if the referendum fails, South Park Middle would remain within a restricted flight zone and facility improvements around the district would likely not be made

Oshkosh Superintendent Brian Davis oversees the district’s 22 schools and more than 9,000 students.

Davis said voting “yes” on the district’s $198 million referendum is a vote for the future of the school district.

“We want to be able to sustain a high-quality education system for our community, be able to attract businesses, attract business owners. We need to make sure that we have the best schools possible,” Davis said. 

Consolidating and expanding older schools is a big focus of this referendum.

The 120-year-old South Park Middle School is in the runway-departure zone of the Wittman Regional Airport. Davis said by moving that school to another site, the district will save $800,000 and have room to expand.

But not everyone in Oshkosh agrees the referendum needs to get approved.

“The building’s been standing here, went for hundreds of years. No plane crashes yet, and how busy is our airport?” James Upham said.

Upham is a lifelong Oshkosh resident and attended South Park Middle years ago. Upham said he intends to vote “no”

“For the sake of handicap accessibility and a newer school, a one-story structure could be built on this parcel of land yet and serve everyone’s needs, in my opinion. So I think to save the tax dollars, plus geothermal should be included in the design, because it would save a lot of money and energy,” Upham said.

Kim Nguyen has two students enrolled in the Oshkosh School District. He said he’s seen the state of several schools and the challenges they pose. Nguyen said he plans to vote “yes.”

“I’ve seen photos of mold on the walls and all sorts of crumbling things, and it just seemed like a very sensible thing for our school district and for our community to just have good schools for kids,” Nguyen said.

The average age of schools in Oshkosh is 66 years old. Davis said these older schools are too expensive to maintain and can stifle student progress.

“Kids are our future workforce, and so for us to be able to run as efficiently as possible, to maintain the high level of services that we have, and to be able to have our students in safe places,” Davis said.

Davis said if the referendum fails, South Park Middle would remain within a restricted flight zone. He said facility improvements around the district would likely not be made.

Here’s a breakdown of what the Oshkosh referendum aims to do:

  • Reduce from three to two middle schools and build a new consolidated middle school
  • Reduce from seven to five elementary schools by expanding and renovating three existing elementary schools — student population is expected to jump from 1,183 to 1,800
  • Create a pre-K center by converting a middle school
  • Add an auditorium at North High School and A/C at three elementary schools

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