District overview
Marshfield Unified School District
How the Marshfield Unified School District is governed and funded, and what is underway
How is the Marshfield School District funded?
Most of Marshfield's general fund comes from the state, with the rest from a local property tax set under Wisconsin's revenue limits. Large building projects sit outside that cap because voters approved them in a November 2024 referendum, and the district repays the borrowing through a separate debt fund and levy.
State aid is the largest source
The 2026-27 preliminary budget shows about $34.6 million of the $55.4 million in general fund revenue coming from state sources.
Local levy
The October 28, 2026 agenda lists a $5.72 rate per $1,000 and a total levy of $20,679,656 for approval.
Referendum debt
Voters approved $71,575,000 for facilities in 2024. The district borrowed $39 million in 2024-25 and its agenda lists a further $32,575,000 note sale in August 2026; $4,815,320 of the levy goes to the referendum debt fund.
Reserves are steady
The general fund balance is budgeted at about $16.9 million at the end of 2026-27, essentially unchanged from the year before.
The collected documents are agendas and attachments, so they show what the board was asked to approve but, apart from the Dec. 2025 resolution, not always the vote results. Minutes are posted outside the collected sources.
Where the district stands
Rate $5.72 per $1,000.
From NCES directory data; not stated in a collected board document.
Major projects
Marshfield High School referendum projects
Under construction; heaviest work March to September 2027The $71.6 million project includes secure entrances, a new chiller and cooling tower, upgraded ventilation, an expanded wrestling facility and updated technical and agricultural education spaces.
- Voters approve the referendum
- Agenda: proceed to bidding phase
- Special meeting agenda: bid approvals
- Agenda: $32,575,000 note sale
- Most disruptive construction expected to begin (about March)
Funding
Voter-approved general obligation borrowing
August 27 start for 2026-27
State exemption requestedThe board asked the state for permission to start school on August 27, 2026, so most of the school year is finished before the 2027 construction crunch.
- Resolution on the agenda
Funding
Not applicable
K-12 social studies curriculum revision
Adoption on the April 2026 agendaA teacher review team revised the K-12 social studies curriculum and syllabi.
- First reading in committee
- Board agenda: approval
Funding
Teaching and learning budget
Recent news
View the news feed →Resources
Practical guides to school phone policies, district budgets, and administrator hiring.
Explore resources →Built from board and committee agendas, attached packets and exhibits posted on the district's BoardDocs portal from November 2025 to November 2026, and the district's school board page.
Get alerts for Marshfield Unified School District
We read every agenda, packet, recording, and set of minutes, and write up the decisions that affect families — each one linked to the document it came from.
Copy the RSS link into your feed reader to get new published alerts.