Voters in the Siren School District rejected the district's $3 million operating referendum in Tuesday's general election, with 61.1 percent of ballots cast against the measure.
It was the district's second failed funding vote this year. A similar measure on the spring ballot lost by just 88 votes, a far closer margin than Tuesday's result.
Siren, in Burnett County, was one of four Wisconsin districts that went to voters this fall seeking operating money to stave off possible dissolution. The district had framed the referendum as a way to keep the schools operating without dissolving.
Other northwest Wisconsin districts saw different outcomes. In Sawyer County, Winter's $6 million operating referendum passed with more than two-thirds voting yes after voters rejected a question there in the spring. The Washburn School District in Bayfield County passed its measure by only eight votes, while Bloomer voters overwhelmingly rejected a $77 million plan that included a new high school.
Statewide, voters approved 45 of 79 school referendums on Tuesday's ballot, authorizing just over $1.3 billion in school funding. All of Tuesday's results are unofficial until districts complete their canvass later this month.
