Dodgeville School District letting 13 staff go after failed referendum

The Dodgeville School District is set to let go of 13 staff members and reduce programming after its operational referendum failed at the polls Tuesday. Without the community’s permission to raise the tax levy, the district faces a “significant gap” between revenue and expenses. Closing that gap means reducing elective courses and extracurriculars and cutting 13 staff members. The 13 positions include one administrator, three support staff and nine teachers or specialists. The cuts will result in an increase in class sizes by four to five students on average. The last time an operational referendum passed in Dodgeville was 2012. District superintendent Ryan Bohnsack says the district has been pinching pennies for years now and they’ll have no choice but to reach out their hand to the community again in 2026.