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Editorial: Prepare to vote on school funding

Do some homework to make informed school finance choices.

Last update: October 31, 2009 - 8:06 PM

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TO LEARN MORE

• School districts that are seeking levy referendums commonly have facts and figures about the levy campaign on their websites. Some sites have tax calculators to help taxpayers see how much the tax increase will be on their property.

• For information about individual school districts, go to the Minnesota Department of Education at education.state.mn.us.

• The Minnesota School Boards Association website, at mnmsba.org, lists all the state districts that have levy referenda on Nov. 3, along with the amounts and purposes for the requests.

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More than five dozen Minnesota school districts will ask voters for more money next week, and it is fair to speculate that they'd prefer not to. In these shaky economic times, it's even tougher than usual to go to financially stressed taxpayers with hat in hand.

In addition, asking doesn't mean receiving. Last year, about half of the 53 Minnesota districts that asked voters for more funds were turned down. One of those districts, tiny McLeod, dissolved and sent its students elsewhere.

Still, some districts believe they have nowhere else to turn. Funding from the state has been relatively flat for several years. And this year the governor and Legislature delayed payments to schools to help balance the budget, forcing some districts into short-term borrowing. That's why voters need to pay attention to referendum arguments and show up at the polls.

According to the Minnesota School Boards Association, 63 of the state's 340 school districts will ask voters for additional funding on Nov. 3. Fifty-seven are seeking basic operating levies; the others are making bond requests for building and other projects. Those half-dozen are among 14 school bond questions that have been or will be before voters by the end of the year.

In Anoka-Hennepin, the state's largest school district with 39,000 students, school leaders are asking voters to renew a current 10-year levy that is expiring. That levy has generated about $6 million a year since it was passed; this time the board wants to replace it with an eight-year levy including an inflationary increase. If approved, the new levy will generate about $165 per student -- $33 more than the original levy or about $8 million per year. The additional taxes for a home valued at $200,000 will be about $25 to $30 per year.

In the metro area, the other four communities seeking levy funds are Wayzata, Spring Lake Park, South St. Paul and Shakopee. Several dozen others across the state -- including Hastings, St. Peter, Moorhead, Waseca and Roseau -- are seeking levy or bond funding.

Voters should understand that levy renewals simply help districts maintain their current level of spending. Unless the proposal includes an inflationary increase, such as the case of the Anoka-Hennepin district, the schools will not receive additional dollars over and above what the current levy generates.

Before heading for the polls, citizens should do some homework on the issues surrounding the proposed tax hike in their district. Ask questions about school results, operations and efficiency. Evaluate how district leaders have spent previous bond or levy funds. Think about what a good education means for students and society overall. Consider what it takes to provide quality teaching, strong curriculums and good facilities for students who must compete with their international peers.

Conditions and needs vary from district to district, so voters should ask probing questions and press levy supporters and opponents to explain their positions.

In low-profile elections, it is easy to stay home and let others decide. But school funding questions matter deeply to the districts involved and to the pocketbooks of taxpayers. If your community has a school levy question on the ballot, show up and make your voice heard.

ELECTION 2009

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