120.10 Powers of annual meeting. The annual meeting of a common or union high school district may:

(1) Chairperson and clerk. Elect a chairperson and, in the absence of the school district clerk, elect a person to act as the clerk of the meeting.

(2) Adjournment. Adjourn from time to time.

(3) Salaries of school board members. Vote annual salaries for school board members or an amount for each school board meeting the member actually attends.

(4) Reimbursement of school board members. Authorize the payment of actual and necessary expenses of a school board member when traveling in the performance of duties and the reimbursement of a school board member for actual loss of earnings when duties require the school board member to be absent from regular employment.

(5) Building sites. Designate sites for school district buildings and provide for the erection of suitable buildings or for the lease of suitable buildings for a period not exceeding 20 years with annual rentals fixed by the lease.

(5m) Real estate. Authorize the school board to acquire, by purchase or condemnation under ch. 32, real estate and structures and facilities appurtenant to such real estate necessary for school district purposes.

(6) Tax for sites, buildings and maintenance. Vote a tax to purchase or lease suitable sites for school buildings, to build, rent, lease or purchase and furnish, equip and maintain school district buildings. The tax may be spread over as many years as are required to pay any obligations approved or authorized at the annual meeting including rental payments due in future years under an authorized lease.

(7) Tax for transportation vehicles. Vote a tax to purchase, operate and maintain transportation vehicles and to purchase liability insurance for such vehicles, and to finance contracts for the use and services of such vehicles.

(8) Tax for operation. Vote a tax for the operation of the schools of the school district.

(9) Tax for debts. Vote a tax necessary to discharge any debts or liabilities of the school district.

(10) School debt service fund. Vote a tax to create a fund for the purpose of paying all current bonded indebtedness for capital expenditures. All money raised through taxation or otherwise collected pursuant to this subsection shall be deposited by the school district treasurer in a segregated fund. Such money shall not be used for any other purpose, except as provided by s. 67.11 (1), or be transferred to any other fund except by authorization by a two-thirds majority vote of the total number of electors of the school district.

(10m) School capital expansion fund. Vote a tax to create a fund for the purpose of financing all current and future capital expenditures related to buildings and sites. All money raised through taxation or otherwise collected pursuant to this subsection shall be deposited by the school district treasurer in a segregated fund. Such money shall not be used for any other purpose or be transferred to any other fund except by authorization by a majority vote of the electors present at a subsequent annual meeting and only if notice that the issue would be on the agenda was included in the notice of the subsequent annual meeting under s. 120.08 (1) (c).

(11) Tax for recreation authority. Vote a tax for the purposes specified in s. 66.0123.

(14) Legal proceedings. Direct and provide for the prosecution or defense of any action or proceedings in which the school district is interested.

(15) Textbooks. Authorize the school board to furnish textbooks under conditions prescribed by the annual meeting or by the school board. The authorization shall continue in effect until revoked by a subsequent annual meeting.

(16) School lunches. Direct the school board to furnish school lunches to the pupils of the school district and appropriate funds for that purpose.

(19) Consolidation of high schools. In a union high school district, vote to consolidate schools or to discontinue a school where more than one high school is operated by the school district.

History: 1975 c. 39, 115, 199; 1977 c. 206; 1979 c. 301; 1981 c. 20; 1983 a. 207, 339; 1985 a. 29, 218; 1993 a. 184; 1999 a. 150 s. 672; 2015 a. 55.

An action may be instituted and maintained by the school district board without specific approval of the district when management, control, and conservation of school district property requires speedy application for process. Chilton Joint School Dist. No. 1 v. City of Chilton, 78 Wis. 2d 52, 253 N.W.2d 879 (1977).

The power to convert an elementary school to another educational use is not granted by subs. (5) or (12). The school board has this power under s. 120.13 (1). Waldeck v. Goedken, 84 Wis. 2d 408, 267 N.W.2d 362 (1978).

Sub. (10) authorizes levying a tax for the purposes of current or future capital expenditures even without corresponding, existing bonded indebtedness. Barth v. Monroe Board of Education, 108 Wis. 2d 511, 322 N.W.2d 694 (Ct. App. 1982).

Nothing in sub. (6) limits a district from paying a building lease from a general fund raised by the levy of taxes under sub. (8) for school operations. Deick v. Unified School District of Antigo, 165 Wis. 2d 458, 477 N.W.2d 613 (1991).

A common school district's authority under sub. (12) to lease surplus property is discussed. 67 Atty. Gen. 332.