Glendale-River Hills Begins Implementing $5 Million Operating Referendum

The Glendale-River Hills School District has begun its first budget year under a voter-approved operating referendum, while Glendale taxpayers still await the final effect on their school-property-tax bills.

Voters approved the referendum on April 7, 2026, authorizing the district to exceed its state revenue limit by up to $5 million annually for four years. The authority applies from the 2026-27 school year through 2029-30 and is intended for ongoing operating needs rather than a one-time construction project.

What the preliminary budget shows

The district’s preliminary 2026-27 budget treats the fiscal year that began July 1, 2026, as the first year of referendum-supported operations. The preliminary general-fund plan projects approximately $20.47 million in expenditures, a $16.85 million property-tax levy and an ending general-fund balance of about $4.63 million.

Those figures are projections, not the district’s final adopted budget. The June 17 preliminary-budget hearing was an early step in the process, and the district will still need to complete its fall budget and levy actions before the final tax impact is known.

The estimated tax effect is not final

District referendum materials estimate that the referendum could add about $0.41 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Using the district’s example, that would equal roughly $82 per year for a home assessed at $200,000.

That estimate should not be treated as a final bill. The actual amount will depend on the district’s final levy, property assessments, equalization, other taxing jurisdictions and the board’s final budget decisions. The referendum gives the district authority to raise additional operating revenue; it does not by itself determine the exact amount ultimately levied on each property.

What the money is intended to support

In its referendum materials, the district described the operating request as a way to support planning around staffing, class sizes, enrichment and student services. Those categories indicate the areas the district expects to consider as it incorporates the new revenue authority, but the preliminary documents do not guarantee that every specific staffing or program decision has already been made.

Because Glendale-River Hills serves both the City of Glendale and the Village of River Hills, the budget decisions will apply across the district. For Glendale families, employees and homeowners, the practical questions are how the board allocates the operating funds and how much of the authorized amount appears in the final levy.

October is the next key checkpoint

The district’s next consequential steps are scheduled for October 2026, when it is expected to hold its final budget hearing, adopt the budget and certify the property-tax levy. Those actions should provide a clearer answer about the first-year tax effect and the district’s final spending priorities.

Glendale taxpayers should watch the district’s final budget documents for the adopted general-fund expenditures, levy amount, referendum-related revenue and any changes from the June projections. The preliminary fund balance offers context about the district’s projected financial position, but it does not determine an individual homeowner’s future tax bill.

Sources

• Glendale-River Hills School District preliminary budget presentation
• Glendale-River Hills School District referendum materials
• Milwaukee County official election canvass
• WUWM referendum explainer