Reporting the Upcoming Referendum and Associated Results to DPI
Information for reporting the results of the 2024 election day(s) will be updated as circumstances warrant.
School Districts holding Referenda during 2024 / Referenda Results
Referenda (operations or to issue debt) Limitations to Exceed Revenue Limits: 2017 Act 59 (2017-19 Biennial Budget) limits a school board to approving no more than two board resolutions authorizing referendums (operations or to issue debt) to exceed a district’s state imposed revenue limit per calendar year. In addition--with one exception--the two referendums/ballot questions can only be held on the regularly scheduled spring or fall election days.
The exception is if a school district has experienced a natural disaster, it may hold a special referendum within the six-month period following the natural disaster but no sooner than 70 days after the adoption of the resolution (not to be subject to the scheduling restrictions described above).In other words, these new limitations--which began on January 1, 2018--apply to both, the timing of the vote on the questions to be the regularly scheduled Spring and Fall election days (exception for a natural disaster) and the limiting of school boards to approving up to two referendums/ballot questions per calendar year.
Upcoming 2024 Scheduled Election Days
The 2024 regularly scheduled election days are:
Spring Primary – February 20, 2024
Spring Election – April 2, 2024
August Primary - August 13, 2024
November General Election - November 5, 2024
Two Resolution per Year Limit
These limitations on the ability of a school board to ask voters to exceed state imposed revenue limits prohibit a board from passing more than two resolutions per calendar year. A resolution (for operations or to issue debt) results in a referendum/ballot question that the voter is asked to approve or deny. If you have questions about these new limitations on school referenda, please contact Jennifer Buros .
Referenda and the Low Revenue Ceiling
With the passage of 2023 Act 11, the low revenue ceiling (LRC) is $11,000/member, effective with the 2023-24 school year. The per pupil adjustment is added to each district’s base revenue authority per pupil. If that amount is less than the applicable LRC amount (currently $11,000), a district is permitted to raise its revenue authority up to the LRC amount.
However, under 2017 Act 141, if a district failed to pass an operating referendum in one of the three school years prior to a given school year, and it does not subsequently succeed in passing an operating referendum, the LRC amount to which that district is subject is frozen for three years at the amount of the applicable LRC in the year in which the referendum failed.
For example, if a district held a failed operating referendum (recurring or nonrecurring) during 2023-24, the per pupil LRC would be $11,000 for the three years following the failed referendum: 2024-25, 2025-26, and 2026-27. If the district subsequently passes an operating referendum, the three-year freeze of the LRC is removed, effective the year after passage of the referendum.
Districts that failed to pass an operating referendum are still eligible for the per pupil adjustment on line 4A of the revenue limit worksheet. Under current law, the per pupil adjustment is $325 per year. The per pupil adjustment is independent of the LRC freeze as a result of a failed referendum.
For example, if the district's Revenue Limit/member is $11,000 in 2023-24 (see 2023-24 Prepopulated Revenue Limit Worksheet), the district’s 2024-25 Revenue Limit/member will be increased $325 to a total of $11,325 even if the district had a failed referendum in 2023-24. Districts can confirm their Revenue Limit/member on the 2024-25 Prepopulated Revenue Limit Worksheet.
The following file provides the history of per pupil adjustment and LRC Amounts: Per Pupil Adjustment and Low Revenue Ceiling Threshold Amounts.
DPI Notification Logistics
Notification to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) of upcoming referendum elections is performed via the Internet through the DPI WiSFiP.
To notify DPI of an upcoming referendum or its results:
- Select your district on the next page
- Click on "Referendum"
- Click on "Manage Referendum"
- Click on "Add a new record" to report an upcoming election.
- For Recurring Referenda, Non-Recurring Referenda and Referenda for Debt Issue, send a copy of the signed initial resolution, the referendum question and the official referendum ballot question(s) or the upcoming public election to Jennifer Buros .