WISCONSIN HEIGHTS, Wis. -- About local 20 school districts will vote on referendums on April 1. Some bigger districts will be seeking permission to exceed the state-mandated spending control on schools so as to repair facilities or build new ones.

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However, a significant number of smaller districts will be asking voters for money simply to maintain the current level of education.

One such school district is Wisconsin Heights, which sits in the rolling wooded hills west of Madison.

Last year, the Mazomanie-Black Earth voters in the district voted down a referendum 48 to 52 percent. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of cuts later, the communities might be torn again as district officials seek to avoid more layoffs and programs by going back to voters, WISC-TV reported.

Wisconsin Heights School Board Member Jeff Fancsali said that it's a small district with a good reputation.

"I love the size of the district we have. I think we have a lot of opportunities," Fancsali said.

What Wisconsin Heights School District doesn't have is enough students. The district has been dropping in numbers for years as the value of the area homes climbs. Together, it's something of a double whammy when it comes to the heart of school funding -- per pupil state aid. As the state dollar deficits continues, so do the number of referenda asking voters in to dig deeper or to absorb even deeper cuts.

Vince Breunig, principal at the Wisconsin Heights High School, said that budget cuts have been deep.

"Last year for example, we cut health from the high school curriculum. We no longer have health in the high school," he said,

Bob Avery, who's the district's business services director, said that the financial restrictions have required officials to be creative, as in the case of health classes.

"That's something we can't cover now," Avery said. "We have to try to and blend issues that cover the gamut of teenagers and preteens into one class in eighth grade."

Both Breunig and Avery said that the lack of a health class, including sex education, in high school is the sort of basic course offering that shouldn't be getting cut. Avery's position is already set to be eliminated at the end of next year because of the cuts.

To reverse this and after six years of cuts and deficits, the district is making a pitch again to voters to pass a referendum that will serve as a short-term fix. Next Tuesday, voters in the district will be asked to exceed state revenue caps over the next two years by a total $800,000. The money will be used to cover budget shortfalls projected at over $440,000 for the next school year and over $665,000 the following school year.

However, Fanscali said that he doesn't see an emergency yet. He's one of three board members who voted against holding a referendum because he believes there are cuts in place that could pan out and other areas where cuts could be made. It's all about timing, he said.

"There's a lot of programs and cuts that we've implemented that we haven't seen the results of yet," he said.

Fanscali said that the board's also targeted building maintenance for some savings.

About 20 percent of the district's staff has been cut since 2001, WISC-TV reported.

The referendum's estimated average tax hike on $200,000 home is $86 next year and $132 the following year.

Voters can go to public forum on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Wisconsin Heights Middle School for more on the referendum.