Madison School District voters by a 2-1 margin approved a referendum Tuesday imposing a three-year series of permanent property tax increases.

Approval of the referendum means that taxes on a $250,000 home will rise about 1 percent, or $28, to $2,508 in 2009-10 compared with the previous school year, according to district estimates. The tax bill on that home will rise an additional $43 in 2010-11 and $21 more in 2011-12.

Unofficial returns showed the referendum was supported by a majority of voters in every section of Wisconsin's second-largest school district.

Eight in 10 voters backed the measure in most wards Downtown, on the near East and West Sides and on the UW-Madison campus.

Madison schools Superintendent Daniel Nerad said the referendum appeared headed for approval but he'd wait until the results were official before declaring victory. The campaign was his first major test since beginning work in Madison on July 1.

"We're very heartened by the response," Nerad said.

"We worked to put a plan together that balanced the needs of the kids with the needs of the taxpayers."

The referendum, Nerad said, won't provide money to add programs but will help maintain the school's operations as the district launches a major effort with residents to update the district's stategic plan — its top priorities.

Nerad said he also feels a responsbility to work with and be accessible to people who opposed the referendum.

He credited School Board members and district employees for working with community groups to win approval of the measure.

The referendum will increase the district's state revenue limit $5 million for the 2009-10 school year, when the district faces a projected $8.1 million budget gap.

The measure, a "recurring referendum," gives the district permission to build on the previous year's revenue limit increase by additional amounts of $4 million in 2010-11 and another $4 million in 2011-12. The measure permits a total increase of $13 million — a change that will be permanent, unlike the impact of some other referendums that end after a specified period.

By comparison, the district's total budget for the current school year is $368 million.

Referendum backers hoped voters would set aside concerns about the economy to help the district avert multimillion-dollar budget cuts that would lead to larger class sizes and other changes in school operations.

The measure faced no organized opposition.

It was supported by three major groups — Community and Schools Together, Grandparents United for Madison Public Schools and Madison Teachers Inc., the teachers union, plus dozens of high school students who formed a group on the Facebook social networking Web site and worked for approval of the referendum.

Don Severson, president of Active Citizens for Education, a district watchdog group that took no position on the referendum but raised questions about it, said he was surprised by the wide margin of approval.

"The board and the administration were certainly steadfast in their conviction, and successful in convincing voters to maintain programs and services," Severson said. He added that the success comes with "a huge responsibility" for the board, administration and community to ensure that resources are targeted to improvements in achievement and education.